Drawing from MOCA’s world-renowned, ever-growing collection of nearly 8,000 objects, this exhibition focuses on artworks dating from the 1940s to the 1970s and demonstrates the collection’s historical depth, commitment to artistic experimentation, and global awareness. Featuring recent acquisitions alongside beloved artworks that have long been mainstays of MOCA’s collection, highlights include a gallery dedicated to the abstract expressionist canvases of Mark Rothko, an oil by Luchita Hurtado from the artist’s I am series that belongs to the Mohn Art Collective, as well as paintings, sculptures, and work in all media by figures including Piet Mondrian, On Kawara, Robert Rauschenberg, Betye Saar, and Anne Truitt, among others. The expanding field provides insight into art practice in the decades immediately preceding MOCA’s founding in 1979 and an outlook informed by the diverse cultures of Los Angeles.

Bringing together landmark works from one of the museum’s most significant collecting periods, the exhibition traces the emergence of artistic movements that redefined the possibilities of modern and contemporary art. Through painting, sculpture and multidisciplinary practices, the selected works reveal the experimental spirit that characterized the postwar decades while highlighting the international dialogues that shaped artistic production across different cultural contexts. The exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to reconsider the historical foundations upon which MOCA’s collection has been built.

By placing iconic works alongside more recent acquisitions, The expanding field underscores the dynamic and evolving nature of the museum’s collection. The exhibition reflects MOCA’s enduring commitment to presenting diverse artistic voices and expanding the narratives of twentieth-century art, while acknowledging the influence of Los Angeles as a site of cultural exchange and innovation. Together, the works illuminate a transformative period in art history whose ideas and practices continue to shape contemporary artistic discourse today.