Cultural institutions are increasingly recognizing the potential of pooling their resources and are therefore building a joint collection of contemporary art by Los Angeles artists. The foundation stone will be laid by the acquisition of almost 300 works of art by the collector couple Jarl and Pamela Mohn.
“We’re all going to share the work, we’re going to share the cost,” said Ann Philbin, director of the Hammer. “All three of our institutions care deeply about the art that’s being created in our city – not just for this moment, but for the future. We believe it will be part of the great history of art.”
Jarl Mohn, a venture capitalist who served as managing director of National Public Radio until 2019, said he was inspired by the collaborative nature of “PST Art,” an exhibition — soon to open its third edition — in which museums and other nonprofits across Southern California display art on a theme over several months.
“When I decided to give the collection away – but keep it as a living object and let it continue to grow – I said, ‘I think we should rethink this idea of collaboration,'” Mohn said in an interview. “It will make a big statement about our city. It will make a big statement about what we think is going on here.”
The collection, which will be called Mohn Art Collective: Hammer, LACMA, MOCA – or MAC3 – will initially consist of 260 works by the Mohns. The Hammer Museum will expand it with 80 works acquired since 2012 as part of the biennial exhibitions of Los Angeles artists, Made in LA.
For the first joint acquisitions, curators from all three institutions unanimously selected 16 works from “Made in LA 2023: Acts of Living,” bringing the MAC3 collection to 356 works of art.
In addition to their artwork, the Mohns will establish a $15 million to $20 million endowment to fund annual purchases and expenses related to the care and storage of the collection. “It’s becoming increasingly difficult for museums to afford to store works,” Philbin said. “Sometimes that dictates what we can buy in terms of scope and quantity.”
The gifts will enable the three institutions to jointly purchase works by Los Angeles artists each year. The selection will be made jointly by the curatorial teams of all three museums. Every two years, these purchases will come from issues of Made in LA.
In years when there is no biennial exhibition, curators from the three institutions will select works to acquire through studio visits and exhibitions. The entire collection will be available for exhibition at each institution and on loan to other museums around the world.
“We need to rethink the way museums work and be willing to take risks and be brave enough to work together,” said Johanna Burton, director of the Museum of Contemporary Art since 2021, acknowledging the financial challenges museums face. “This is a sign that we should all work better together.”
The existing 260-piece Mohn Collection includes works by more than 125 Los Angeles artists, including many who have appeared in one of the six editions of Made in LA, such as Aria Dean, Rafa Esparza, Lauren Halsey, Luchita Hurtado and Arthur Jafa.
Other artists in the collection include Karon Davis, Rodney McMillian and Cauleen Smith.
The museums hope for further donations.
The Mohns have supported the Made in LA Biennial since its inception in 2012, including by funding the Mohn Awards, which are given to the Biennial’s artists.
Jarl Mohn declined to quantify his total investment in MAC3, but said it would be more than he had previously spent on art for institutions.
“That’s the big thing,” he said. “Because I believe in it. I believe in art, I believe in artists, I believe in community. It’s about where we live. And I think this is a very special place right now.”
