LACMA, MOCA and the Los Angeles Hammer Museum Jarl have received a donation from Los Angeles-based philanthropists Jarl and Pamela Mohn. The three museums will share ownership and management of the new collection of 260 contemporary art works.
The collection, dubbed “the Mohn Collective: Hammer, LACMA, MOCA” or “MAC,” is comprised exclusively of works by Los Angeles-based artists. Compiled by the couple over the past 20 years, it includes works by more than 125 artists, including Lauren Halsey, Rafa Esparza, Aria Dean and Luchita Hurtado, and Arthur Jafa, who were featured in the recent edition of “Made in LA.” The collection’s value has not yet been estimated, and is expected to be appraised in the coming months.
The Mohns’ donation is accompanied by a gift estimated at between $15 million and $20 million for expenses related to the maintenance of the works and future acquisitions. This gift is the largest “of all the things I’ve done to support art institutions in Los Angeles over the past 20 years” explains Jarl Mohn, who is very attached to the cultural heritage of his city. The Mohns are indeed important philanthropists for the city of Los Angeles. They have funded several institutions: the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) of Los Angeles, The Brick and the Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND). They also support three contemporary art prizes in Los Angeles: the Mohn Award, the Career Achievement Award and the Public Recognition Award.
96 additional works from the three museums’ collections are joining the “MAC3” collection. The Hammer Museum has added 80 works acquired over the past 12 years to the collection: these works come from “Made in LA,” the contemporary art biennial organized by the museum since 2012. The three museums are jointly adding 16 works from the recent edition of the “Made in LA 2023” biennial. The “MAC3” thus totals 356 works including paintings, sculptures and works in other media.
The new collection is subject to a very specific acquisition policy. Decisions regarding new acquisitions will be made by the curators of the three museums collegially. The works must be made by Los Angeles artists and must be selected every two years in the local biennial “Made in LA”. The “MAC3” collection will be available for loan to museums around the world.
Collaboration between cultural institutions is nothing new in Los Angeles, which will open the next edition of the Getty Museum’s “PST Art” next month with more than 60 exhibitions and 800 artists. One of the goals of MAC3 is to encourage other collectors to make new donations in order to perpetuate the commitment of patrons to the cultural and artistic ecosystem of the city.
