LA MOCA Sees Much-Needed Success at Auction

Published: May 13, 2009

Photo by Olga Riebeling

The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

Edward Ruscha John Baldessari Robert Gober Andrea Zittel Doug Aitken Barbara Kruger Lara Schnitger Ruscha Print Sets Record

Send a letter to the Editor

Save to Del.icio.us

Digg this

LOS ANGELES—The Museum of Contemporary Art holds a fund-raising auction every year, but with a host of recent layoffs and its budget slashed to the lowest level in a decade, the funds it earned this year may be more crucial than ever.

The museum grossed $650,000 from this year's "Fresh Silent Auction," held Saturday, the Los Angeles Times reports — $50,000 more than its goal. Of 340 works on offer, 297 found buyers.

The auction, which drew 1,100 visitors, included works by Doug Aitken, John Baldessari, Mark Flores, Robert Gober, Piero Golia, Ed Ruscha, Lara Schnitger, and Andrea Zittel. Untitled (The War for Me to Become You), a print by Barbara Kruger, was the evening's top sale, at $32,000. You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth #2, a print by Case Simmons and Andrew Burke, went for $30,000.

Like what you see? Sign up for ARTINFO's weekly newsletter to get the latest on the market, emerging artists, auctions, galleries, museums, and more.

"Every penny counts right now," said museum spokeswoman Lyn Winter.

The museum alternates between offering "fresh," or more emerging, works priced at $10,000 or less in odd years, and pricier items in even years. The last "fresh" auction, in 2007, earned $941,000. In 2008, the museum netted $1.6 million, and the highest price paid was $350,000.

DO MORE WITH ARTINFO