In a joint agreement, three Los Angeles museums have acquired over 350 artworks from LA collectors Jarl and Pamela Mohn. Recognized as one of the most important collections of Southern Californian art, the Hammer Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art are drawing on works done by emerging local artists featured in the collection.
“Pamela and I are ecstatic to make this gift,” Jarl said, “not only to make these outstanding artworks by Los Angeles artists available to the public, but to do it in such a way as to foster collaboration among three of the city’s most extraordinary museums in the spirit of this tight-knit community of artists.”
Returning LA Artists to Their City
The Mohns focus on two particular collection areas, including historical works from the Minimalist movement and the Light and Space movement and emerging LA artists. The category from which the three museums are drawing began to be collected almost twenty years ago and has primarily been displayed in the Mohns’ own New York residence. With their gift, called the Mohn Art Collective, these LA artists’ works are returning to their home city.
What’s Coming to the Three Museums?
The Mohns’ donations to the Hammer Museum began for the now-popular Made in LA biennial, a process by which 80 works were donated and will now be shared by the three institutions involved in the Mohn Art Collective. The works include pieces by Analia Saban, Zackary Drucker, Meleko Mokgosi, Liz Glynn, Anna Sew Hoy, Wu Tsang, Tala Madani, Huguette Caland, Daniel Joseph Martinez, and Luchita Hurtado.
Sixteen additional works come from the 2023 Made in LA installation, including pieces by Guadalupe Rosales, Teresa Baker, Luis Bermudez, Jackie Amézquita, Roksana Pirouzmand, and Pippa Garner. The three museums collectively chose them to become a part of the collective.
The remaining 260 pieces which will be added to the shared collection are new gifts by the Mohns, including pieces by Kelly Akashi, Kathryn Andrews, Carmen Argote, Awol Erizku, Diedrick Brackens, Carolina Caycedo, Gisela Colon, Matt Connors, Beatriz Cortez, Karon Davis, Aria Dean, Rafa Esparza, Nikita Gale, Samara Golden, Todd Gray, Mark Grotjahn, Lauren Halsey, EJ Hill, Arthur Jafa, Deana Lawson, Rodney McMillian, Gala Porras-Kim, Amanda Ross-Ho, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, and Brenna Youngblood.
Furthermore, the three museums will choose additional works to incorporate into the collection, including those from Made in LA exhibits. The Mohns are graciously contributing to these new works’ storage, maintenance, and acquisition of these new works.
An Emerging Trend Amongst Institutions
This is one of many new examples of joint acquisitions, wherein museums split ownership of certain pieces to be shared between their institutions. In 2021, New York’s Dia Art Foundation and Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts chose to share Sam Gilliam’s Double Merge (1968). As Jessica Morgan, Dia’s director, told ARTnews, “It seems like a great way forward for all our institutions.”
It’s a new spirit of collaboration in the art community, an example reflected in this latest acquisition by the three LA museums. They have participated in shared acquisitions before, but this is the largest they have ever attempted. Previous examples include Chris Burden’s Hell Gate being shared by LACMA and MOCA and Hito Steyerl’s Factory of the Sun being shared by the Hammer and MOCA.
“The Mohns’ extraordinary gift is a profound commitment to the artists of today and a promise to future generations,” MOCA director Johanna Burton said. “The collection reflects the dynamic creativity and innovation that define our city. [It] allows us to come together to continue supporting and showcasing the incredible talent within our local arts scene, ensuring that our artists’ voices are heard and that their works are seen around the world.”
