#Tustin to moca museum plus

Prior to ICA, the New York native served as head of the department of modern and contemporary art and curator of contemporary art at the Harvard Art Museum. She also curated or contributed to monographic shows on Catherine Opie, Amy Sillman, Josiah McElheny, Kerry James Marshall and Luc Tuymans. I know some people who have worked with Helen, and know that she is a good colleague.”Īt the Institute of Contemporary Art, Molesworth organized “This Will Have Been: Art, Love & Politics in the 1980s” and “Dance/Draw,” which connected the origins of today’s performance art to dancing and drawing since the 1960s. “When you pick a chief curator, you want to make sure that the chemistry is good with the rest of the staff.

She has deep ties with artists working in L.A. She has a very high level of scholarship. She has also done historical, thematic group shows. I look at her exhibition history and she has done solo exhibitions that are very interesting. Because she loves MOCA, and she has really good knowledge of the collection. “For many reasons, I thought and I think she was/is the perfect candidate. “Not only does she have the shoulder and the gravitas to fill the shoes, she will bring her own shoes,” Vergne said.

Philippe Vergne, MOCA’s director since March, said he’s confident Molesworth will restore confidence in the museum’s artistic vision and programs. He not only made his own shows that were so extraordinary, but he helped to make L.A. “He’s one of the best curators of our time. “Filling Paul Schimmel’s shoes is both totally daunting and one of the most flattering things that has ever happened to me,” Molesworth said. Schimmel reportedly had major differences with then-director Jeffrey Deitch, an art dealer who previously had very little museum administration or fundraising experience.Īll four of the museum’s artist board members resigned in protest, and many in the regional art community were surprised and upset by Schimmel’s departure. Molesworth, 48, will fill a vacancy left by Paul Schimmel, who served as MOCA’s chief curator from 1990 to 2012, when he was unceremoniously let go. “It’s a big decision to change coasts, change your life and leave a job you love, and take on new challenges and opportunities.” “In addition to the collection being stellar, not only with major works by Rauschenberg and Rothko, but tons of amazing artists are associated with Los Angeles. I think that MOCA is widely regarded as having one of the best collections of post-World War II art in the United States,” Molesworth said during a recent interview.

#Tustin to moca museum plus

While she faces a number of challenges ahead, including planning shows and revamping the staff, she also will get the opportunity to oversee a globally respected collection of modern and contemporary art, plus deal with an interested public. She’s currently chief curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, a post she’s held for four years. Helen Molesworth, a respected scholar, writer and curator, will take the helm of MOCA’s curatorial staff on Sept.

A new chief curator is coming to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and she will be tasked with bringing luster and engaging exhibits and programming back to an institution that still is rebuilding after some dark, uncertain days.