MOCA LA director Jonathan Abbott, a veteran of public media rather than the art world, was appointed on Thursday to lead the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles.
Abbott, the former president and CEO of the Boston-based broadcaster GBH, takes over from curator Ann Goldstein, who had served as interim leader following Johanna Burton’s 2025 departure to head the Institute of Contemporary Art Philadelphia. The choice marks a break from the museum’s past practice of selecting leaders from within the art sector.
Abbott begins as director and CEO immediately. He led GBH from 2007 until his 2022 resignation. The organization produces and distributes prominent PBS programs, including Masterpiece and Frontline.
In a statement, Abbott said he aims to broaden support and audiences for work that is “urgent and thought-provoking,” describing Los Angeles as a vibrant cultural center with a strong sense of possibility. He added that he views cultural institutions as public spaces for everyone and said he is energized to help MOCA remain rooted in and for its community.
MOCA board chair Carolyn Clark Powers called Abbott a builder of mission-driven institutions and a collaborative leader, saying he brings the focus and resources needed to extend the museum’s reach and support artists and curators. Looking ahead to MOCA’s 50th anniversary in 2029, she said he is well positioned to guide the next chapter.
MOCA LA director appointment follows a period of turnover
Abbott becomes the seventh leader to helm MOCA since 2008. Recent directors have included Philippe Vergne, who left in 2018 after the firing of chief curator Helen Molesworth, and Klaus Biesenbach, who exited in 2021 after initially sharing the top job with Burton.
During Goldstein’s interim tenure, MOCA opened one of its most lauded recent exhibitions, MONUMENTS, organized with the Brick. The show presented decommissioned Confederate memorials alongside works by contemporary artists engaging with them directly or indirectly.
The appointment arrives amid a broader period of change and debate in the museum sector, with other institutions, such as those featured in art news and fall guides, navigating questions of leadership, audiences, and ethics.