Museum of Contemporary Art

Let other museums corner the market on stuffy and inaccessible. The Museum of Contemporary Art shows how relevant and relatable art can be. Home to more than 4,000 works, the museum focuses on paintings, sculpture, photography, video, and art installations created after 1950. Founded in 1941 as the Art Center in La Jolla, the museum was originally the home of philanthropist, Ellen Browning Scripps. But interest in the museum grew so much that a second location opened in downtown San Diego in the 90s. Check out the museum’s collections of pop and minimalist art from the 60s and 70s, Latin American art, and works of emerging California artists. Listen to interviews with current creators. Bring the kids to a family ArtLab. Take a photography workshop and get the best out of your digital camera. Come to a quarterly “Thursday Night Thing” for live music, art-making activities, and interactive performances. Sit in the cafe courtyard in La Jolla amid blooming wisteria vines and nibble on the bounty of local, organic farmers. This museum brings art to life.