MOCA to debut extensive collection spanning Postwar Era to 1970s

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Mark Rothko, No. 301 (Reds and Violet over Red/Red and Blue over Red) [Red and Blue over Red], 1959. The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, The Panza Collection. ©1998 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo by Brian Forrest.

MOCA to debut extensive collection spanning Postwar Era to 1970s

Mark Rothko, No. 301 (Reds and Violet over Red/Red and Blue over Red) [Red and Blue over Red], 1959. The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, The Panza Collection. ©1998 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo by Brian Forrest.
Mark Rothko, No. 301 (Reds and Violet over Red/Red and Blue over Red) [Red and Blue over Red], 1959. The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, The Panza Collection. ©1998 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo by Brian Forrest.

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) will launch a major exhibition this month titled “The Expanding Field: MOCA’s Collection from the 1940s to 1970s,” showcasing the evolution of contemporary art from the end of World War II to the museum’s founding in 1979. The exhibition will be on view at MOCA Grand Avenue from April 18 through September 20, 2026.

Featuring more than 100 works, the exhibition draws from MOCA’s permanent collection of nearly 8,000 objects. The display includes a diverse range of movements, including Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Minimalism, Conceptual Art, and Feminist Art. Organized by Senior Curator Anna Katz and Curatorial Assistant Ariana Rizo, the show highlights how artists transitioned from traditional easel paintings to expansive canvases and industrial materials.

A primary highlight of the exhibition is a dedicated gallery for the iconic paintings of Mark Rothko. Other featured artists include Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg, Betye Saar, Ed Ruscha, and John Baldessari. The collection represents a period of significant experimentation where artists redefined the boundaries of scale and medium, coinciding with the rise of Los Angeles as a global center for the arts.

“The exhibition offers a compelling view of how artists redefined the possibilities of art in ways that continue to inform the present,” said Ann Goldstein, MOCA’s Interim Maurice Marciano Director. Many of the pieces on display originate from foundational gifts and acquisitions, such as the Panza Collection, which helped establish the museum’s historical depth nearly 50 years ago.

Exhibitions at MOCA are supported by the MOCA Fund for Exhibitions, with lead funding from The Goodman Family Foundation and additional major support from various private charities and foundations. The museum continues to emphasize its commitment to global awareness and artistic experimentation through this retrospective of the postwar decades.

The Museum of Contemporary Art is located at 250 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012

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