About us

The Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles, directed by Francesca Valente, is one of five government cultural agencies established in the United States by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Founded in 1984, the Institute acts as a cultural intermediary between Italy and the US, in a multifaceted perspective.
IIC is a center for cultural and academic activities, a school of Italian language and culture, and a center for art exhibitions, film screenings and videos. It promotes the translation of Italian authors by encouraging local publishers and makes the public aware of Italian artists, as well as literary contests and awards.

The jurisdiction of the Institute includes Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. The building which houses the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles was designed by Robert E. Alexander, partner of Richard Neutra, and is located in the heart of Westwood Village, close to the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) and to the Armand Hammer Museum, the well-known institution of avant-garde culture. The Italian Cultural Institute is open to the public Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m and from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The Spazio Italia Gallery is also open on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The library is open to the public Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 3:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.


Twice a year, the IIC publishes a Newsletter of cultural events designed by Massimo Vignelli. Admission to the events is free of charge, but it is necessary to reserve for each event. Please refer to the Newsletter for information regarding events taking place outside the IIC that are organized in collaboration with other institutions or for information regarding ticket purchase.
A special logo for the Los Angeles office was designed in 1985 by Walter Landor, who also created the Alitalia logo. 


Events

The Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles offers a rich and diverse cultural program. It organizes first-class events on fields of knowledge ranging from archeology to restoration and visual arts, from architecture and design to photography, from cinema and theatre to music, from language and literature to publishing, from sociology to history, and from science to philosophy.


Services

The Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles offers the following services to the public:
-Courses in Italian language and culture taught by qualified native-speaking instructors.
- A library of 5,000 books, as well as a large collection of CDs DVDs, are available for loan, while Italian newspapers and magazines are available for perusal.
-Information and documentation on Italy in the field of culture

Collaborations

For larger cultural events, the IIC collaborates with:

• Cultural institutions and museums: City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Armand Hammer Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, UCLA Fowler Museum, Getty Research Institute del Getty Museum, Autry Museum of American West, Nevada Museum of Art (Reno), Meadows Museum (Dallas), Sewall Art Gallery (Rice University, Houston), San Diego Museum of Art, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Monica Musem of Art and Bowers Museum

• Theater or cinematic institutions: American Cinematheque, UCLA School of Film and TV, UCLA Live, Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences

• Musical institutions: UCLA Live, Monday Nights, Colburn School of Music, LA Opera, Music Center Disney Hall, Opera di Santa Barbara

• Universities: University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Southern California (USC), University of California San Diego (UCSD), Pepperdine University, California State University Long Beach, University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB), Art Center College of Design, Southern California Institute of Architecture 

The Institute collaborates every year with The Los Angeles Film Festival, Milan International Film Festival Italian Film Festival San Diego, Palm Springs International Film Festival, World Fest Houston, Newport Beach Film Festival, Cinema Italian Style, The SWIFT, South East Film Festival.

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