Focus Series: Gorky’s Betrothals was the first joint presentation of all three of Arshile Gorky's later masterpieces The Betrothal, Betrothal I (in MOCA's permanent collection), and Betrothal II (all 1947). The paintings, each painted a year before the artist’s death, are composed of Gorky’s characteristically atmospheric, biomorphic forms alluding to sexuality and the unconscious.
The curators planned Gorky’s Betrothals after the relatively unknown The Betrothal, likely the first of the three, was bequeathed from a private collection to Yale. The show additionally included eight preparatory drawings.
The exhibition was accompanied by an illustrated brochure.
Focus Series: Gorky’s Betrothals was part of the museum’s Focus Series (1992–1998), which was dedicated to presentations of distinct bodies of work by artists working in all media and featured a roster of distinguished local and international artists.
The Focus Series quickly became core to the museum's mission and identity as the artist's museum. Over a subsequent three-year period in the mid-2000s, the series was revived briefly but powerfully, featuring primarily Los Angeles-based artists and representing the first LA museum exhibition for artists including Eric Wesley (2006), Lecia Dole-Recio (2006), Alexandra Grant (2007), and Sterling Ruby (2008).
Focus Series: Gorky’s Betrothals was organized by Adam D. Weinberg, Curator of the Permanent Collection, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Paul Schimmel, Chief Curator, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.