A Spotlight on the History of La Jolla's Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in the heart of La Jolla

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego is “devoted to the exploration and presentation of the art of our time, presenting works across all media created since 1950.” However, not only does it house groundbreaking art and sculpture in the heart of La Jolla, but it is also a historical landmark for many interesting reasons.

From 1915 the museum was the residence of the philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, famous throughout the area as the founding donor of many Southern California institutions including many areas of UCSD. The building itself was designed by the prestigious  architect Irving Gill, a pioneer of the modern movement in architecture during the early 20^th century, who designed many buildings throughout San Diego.

In the early 1970s, the location’s name changed to the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, focusing the exhibitions and its collection on the 1950s to the present. The again in 1990, the Museum changed to its current name, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. This second change strove to acknowledge the larger geographic context and population base that it served and in 1993, another museum opened downtown. In 1996, the MCASD location in La Jolla took a major renovation and expansion which was designed by Robert Venturi one of the leading architects of his time who helped to shape the way the public experienced and thought about architecture and the American built environment.

Today, MCASD, including its location in La Jolla and Downtown San Diego, has a collection of over 4,000 works focusing on artists form the 1950s until the present. In addition, the museum’s Edwards Garden Gallery, which has brilliant views of the Pacific Ocean, has a wide range of sculptures by international artists including works by Niki De Saint Phalle, Jonathan Borofsky and Marcos Ramirez.

On your trip to the Museum of Contemporary art in La Jolla, you must also visit Thumbprint Gallery, exhibiting works by lowbrow and urban artists from California and further afield. The gallery is open for 12pm to 4pm Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Check out their exhibitions online here.

Source:  http://www.mcasd.org/