Financial difficulties LA MOCA (Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art), announced a possible merger with LACMA (the Art Museum of Los Angeles County)

MOCA Director Jeffrey Deitch Source: bloomberg.com

LACMA Director Michael Govan Source: bloomberg.com

two leading Los Angeles museum may unite, in order to save by closing one of them. We are talking about the largest in the Western U.S. Art Museum of Los Angeles County LACMA, Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art LA MOCA. MOCA, whose collection of approximately 6,000 works of American and European Post-War and Contemporary Art, is experiencing a protracted financial, curatorial and institutional crisis.

former New York gallery owner, who became director of MOCA in 2008 Jeffrey Deitch has not converged positions with leading museum curator Paul Schimmel, is on the board of trustees for 22 years. When in June 2012, Schimmel was forced to resign along with it the board of trustees of the museum in solidarity left seven people, including artists Ed Rush, Barbara Kruger, and John Baldessari. Gone were unhappy with undue influence exerted on MOCA collector Eli Brody. Broad, who promised in 2008 to donate $ 30 million MOCA (Museum hardly supported by the state and is almost entirely dependent on money from private sponsors), he kept his promise only half. And despite the fact that the board of trustees of the museum recently included such influential collectors as Peter Brant, Steve Cohen, Victor Pinchuk and Laurence Graff, the total amount of donations and grants in 2011 fell by 21.5 percent and 14.6 million. In this museum attendance in the past year has doubled (to 400 people), and the cost increased to $ 17.5 million.

In this situation, the merger with LACMA MOCA can save them from bankruptcy. "The combination of LACMA and MOCA will strengthen both the museum - the director LACMA Michael Govan. - Strong leadership LACMA, the museum experience in fund-raising, as well as its support of the Government of Los Angeles County and other sponsors will give MOCA the stability that this museum deserves. " Possibility of a merger is being discussed. Details of the talks were not disclosed, but it is known that in the case of MOCA association with LACMA will retain its name and facilities.

Prepared Maria Onuchina, AI

Sources : bloomberg.com , artinvestment.ru