The Museum of Contemporary Art

About

The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), is a leading contemporary art museum with two locations in greater Los Angeles, California. The main branch is situated on Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, near the Walt Disney Concert Hall. MOCA’s original space, established in 1979, is dedicated exclusively to contemporary art. The museum’s collection includes almost 5,000 artworks created since 1940, featuring masterpieces by classic contemporary artists and inspiring new works by emerging and mid-career artists from Southern California and around the world. In 1986, the celebrated Japanese architect Arata Isozaki completed the downtown location’s sandstone building to international critical and public acclaim.

MOCA is known for its thematic-survey exhibitions about postwar art, such as “A Forest of Signs: Art in the Crisis of Representation” and “Art in the Streets.” The museum has been a significant cultural venue since its opening with an extensive exhibition called “The First Show: Painting and Sculpture From Eight Collections, 1940-80.” MOCA’s commitment to presenting diverse exhibitions and programs is evident in its ongoing efforts to promote, interpret, and present contemporary art from culturally diverse Southern California.