Vija Celmins, Jigsaw Puzzle #5, 1966, acrylic, resin, wood, and fur, 3 × 7 7/8 × 8 inches (7.6 × 20 × 20.3 cm), Gift of Michael Asher. Photo by Brian Forrest.
One of the most significant gifts to MOCA from an artist was made by Michael Asher, who donated thirty-five works from his personal collection to the museum. The works date from the late 1940s to the late 1970s, and many were produced or exhibited in Los Angeles. Underscoring the artist’s enduring impact on the institution’s history, this exhibition presents selections from Asher’s donation including works by Larry Bell, Vija Celmins, Judy Chicago, Tony DeLap, Marcel Duchamp, Joe Goode, Al Hansen, Donald Judd, Stephen Kaltenbach, Michael C. McMillen, Claes Oldenburg, Ken Price, and Man Ray.
Gifts of Michael Asher is organized by José Luis Blondet, Senior Curator, with Emilia Nicholson-Fajardo, Curatorial Assistant, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
Exhibitions at MOCA are supported by the MOCA Fund for Exhibitions with lead funding provided by The Goodman Family Foundation. Major funding is provided by Tatiana Botton, Kathi and Gary Cypres, Alfred E. Mann Charities, and Alicia Miñana and Robert Lovelace. Generous funding is provided by Michael and Zelene Fowler, The Earl and Shirley Greif Foundation, John Morace and Tom Kennedy, Daryl and Robert Offer, Jonathan Segal, and the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation.