MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART LOS ANGELES

Description

Essentials about the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles in brief

Fans of contemporary art should not miss the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles (usually just called “MOCA” for short) when visiting Los Angeles. MOCA focuses on contemporary European and American art after 1940. With around 6,000 works, some by the most famous artists of our time, the Museum of Contemporary Art in LA is one of the most important contemporary art museums in the world.

Locations of the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles

The Museum of Contemporary Art has three locations in Los Angeles: the main location is on Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles. The second location is the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA in the Little Tokyo Historic District. And the third location is the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.

MOCA Grand Avenue

Opened in 1986, the museum complex on Grand Avenue in Downtown LA, adjacent to The Broad art museum and Walt Disney Concert Hall, is the main home of MOCA. The complex is a playful architectural arrangement of reddish, geometric blocks designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, who called it a “small village in the valley of skyscrapers.”

MOCA Grand Avenue is home to some 5,000 works of art dating from after 1940, including works by world-renowned contemporary artists such as Franz Kline, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg and Mark Rothko, as well as works by newcomers from California and the rest of the world. In addition to the permanent collection, MOCA’s main building on Grand Avenue also hosts temporary exhibitions.

The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA

Just east of MOCA Grand Avenue, in the Little Tokyo Historic District, is the second location of the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles: The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA. Originally, The Geffen Contemporary was intended only as a temporary exhibition space during the construction of MOCA Grand Avenue. Due to the popularity of the building, which was once used as a warehouse and repair shop for police cars, it was converted into a museum building by California star architect Frank Gehry. In the process, however, Gehry left many old structures intact, which is why the building represents a unique fusion of industrial and museum architecture.

Because The Geffen Contemporary is the largest of MOCA’s three locations, it is ideally suited for the presentation of oversized artworks and large art installations. Works by lesser-known and young artists are also frequently exhibited at The Geffen Contemporary.

MOCA at The Pacific Design Center

In 2000, the Pacific Design Center, just 280 square feet, opened on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood. The Pacific Design Center features new works by both established and emerging artists, as well as exhibits from the fields of architecture and design.