History
Before The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) was created, Los Angeles was the only major United States city without a significant museum devoted solely to contemporary art. In spring 1979 a small group of private citizens, encouraged and aided by artists, collectors, museum directors, and curators worldwide, joined forces to remedy this situation. Tom Bradley, then mayor of Los Angeles, lent his support to their dream, and under his stewardship the project rapidly became a reality. Today the museum is housed in three facilities, MOCA Grand Avenue, The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA (formerly the Temporary Contemporary) in Little Tokyo, and MOCA Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.
Specialties
MOCA is the only museum in Los Angeles devoted exclusively to contemporary art. It is committed to the collection, presentation, and interpretation of work produced since 1940 in all media, and to preserving that work for future generations. In a remarkably short time, MOCA has developed one of the nation's most renowned permanent collections. Now numbering over 6,800 works and steadily growing, this invaluable cultural resource provides extensive opportunities for education and enjoyment to thousands of national and international visitors. Today the museum is housed in two unique facilities: MOCA Grand Avenue and The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.