Trustee's Donation a Milestone for MOCA

The record gift deepens holdings of works by such prominent artists as John Baldessari, Mike Kelley, Robert Gober, Ed Ruscha and Andy Warhol, and adds new names to the collection. The young institution is considered to be in the very top tier of contemporary art museums, with one of the world's finest collections of post-World War II art.

"This is a milestone for MOCA," said Jeremy Strick, director of the museum. "Blake's contribution makes a tremendous impact on our collection by enhancing our existing holdings of American and European art -- both building on strengths and filling gaps -- while augmenting our ongoing efforts to acquire video, sculpture and other works by emerging artists."

Particularly strong in European work, Byrne's eclectic and adventurous collection, Strick said, is also "a document of one man's enormous range of interests, his passions and his engagement with artists."

Los Angeles art dealer Shaun Caley Regen called Byrne's collection "very, very good," describing it also as "strong," with important examples of influential artists' work. "He has a tremendous eye," she said. "He really understands philanthropy and collects not just for himself but for the greater good. This is fantastic for MOCA."

Byrne, whose name has appeared on ARTnews magazine's annual list of the world's top 200 collectors, said that his donation had not yet been appraised and that he didn't know its current market value. Art market experts estimated the value at $5 million to $10 million.

But the donation isn't about money, said chief curator Paul Schimmel. It's about expanding the collection's geographical and stylistic reach and keeping up with an ever-changing field. Part of MOCA's mission is to identify rising stars whose work will accrue critical acclaim and financial value, as well as to amass superior pieces by well-known figures.

The Byrne collection encompasses concentrations of works by artists from California, New York, Latin America and Asia, as well as Europe. It also provides the museum with its first pieces by German sculptor Stephen Balkenhol, New York-based video artist Steve McQueen, French conceptual artist Annette Messager and British sculptor Tony Cragg, all internationally recognized figures whose works appear in major museums around the world.