$15-20 million gift from Jarl and Pamela Mohn accompanies donating their extensive art collection to the Mohn Art Collective
The Hammer Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and Museum of Contemporary Art announced the combined ownership and management of 260 pieces of art donated by benefactors Jarl and Pamela Mohn.
Known as the Mohn Art Collective: Hammer, LACMA, MOCA, or MAC3, the Mohns have collected only L.A.-based artists for 20 years.
The contribution includes a $15-million to $20-million endowment for future acquisitions and annual growth.
It covers art storage and care costs.
“I don’t want it to be a burden,” Jarl Mohn told The Times about endowing MAC3. “I want this to be a joyful experience and not a heavy lift for the institutions.”
Mohn said the gift exceeds “all the things I’ve supported at all the art institutions in L.A., in the aggregate over the last 20 years.”
The market value of the MAC3 collection, which was being appraised, was unknown to Mohn. He anticipated learning within four months.
The Hammer is adding 80 works from its 12-year “Made in L.A.” biennials to MAC3. Curators from all three museums contributed 16 items to “Made in L.A. 2023” for a total of 356 paintings, sculptures, and mixed media works.
Mohn recalled strolling through the Hammer after last year’s “Made in L.A.” with its director, Ann Philbin, LACMA and MOCA directors Michael Govan and Johanna Burton, and their senior curators.
“And then we sat in a conference room, had lunch, talked for three hours, and voted,” Mohn recalled.
Each museum’s curators will determine what to buy each year, with the only requirements being that the pieces be by L.A. artists and that every other year, they would come from future “Made in L.A.” biennials. Each institution will have access to the whole collection for display, and the collection will be lent to museums worldwide with financial aid for small institutions.
Lauren Halsey, Rafa Esparza, Aria Dean, Karon Davis, Martine Syms, Mark Grotjahn, Silke Otto-Knapp, Rodney McMillian, Analia Saban, Cauleen Smith, Luchita Hurtado, and Kandis Williams are in MAC3. MAC3 hopes to encourage other collectors to give more pieces, sustaining L.A. artists and the art ecology.
It took decades to create this collection, Mohn noted.
“I decided to build a collection around emerging L.A. artists because we’re all lucky to live here where there’s something happening,” he added. “It’s like being in New York during the Abstract Expressionist movement or Paris during Cubism at the turn of the century.”
Mohn stated MAC3 was conceived over 18 months. He thinks L.A.’s art scene is harmonious, and all three museum directors readily approved the proposal. He anticipates a future where all three museums highlight a few artifacts in theme-based shows rather than vying for the collection. Govan wants access to a piece that will be prominently displayed in LACMA’s new David Geffen Galleries.
Mohn replied to Govan’s plea, “Great, we’ll put it in the collection, but it’ll be for everybody.” “‘But this is something you wanted first, so you got first dibs on it,’ but [the museums] have been so collaborative and cooperative, working together… it really is exactly as I envisioned it would go.”
Major L.A. institutions have long collaborated on citywide art festivals and projects, including the Getty’s massive “PST Art,” which opens next month with dozens of exhibits and programs in museums and public spaces across Southern California. MAC3 follows this model. Govan has often discussed developing a “strategic plan of regional partnerships” with local museums to better promote LACMA’s large collection.
The Mohns have always supported local artists. Since its 2012 launch, they have funded “Made in L.A.” heavily. They also fund the Mohn, Career Achievement, and Public Recognition Awards for L.A. artists. They have supported the Brick, Los Angeles Nomadic Division, and Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.