MOCA and USC? Paul Schimmel and Mike Kelley.

As any follower of TMZ knows, bad news trumps good news and that certainly has been the case at MOCA this year. Despite any number of insightful or exciting exhibitions, the focus has been almost entirely on the forced resignation of chief curator Paul Schimmel and the ensuing melt down that led to the resignation of four artist trustees and a mountain of bad press. Despite more than 20 years of a loyal service to the museum and an exemplary international reputation, Schimmel was treated shabbily, sent packing by billionaire trustee Eli Broad. After thousands of supporters in the art world protested, Schimmel was awarded somewhat better treatment and MOCA has named a gallery in his honor. Yet, it was no secret that his dismissal had come at the urging of director Jeffrey Deitch, who became director of the museum in 2010.

Yves Klein: Untitled Fire Painting (F 13), 1961

Burnt cardboard, 25 1/2 x 19 1/2 in. (64.77 x 49.53 cm)

© Yves Klein, ADAGP, Paris

From Destroy the Picture: Painting the Void

Schimmel’s show was years in the making with hefty essays by himself and others in the catalog and brought together works of art that had never been seen together or previously considered to relevant to one another.

Deitch’s show was hot off the presses with current artists, many of them collected by MOCA trustees, and given additional credibility by their association with Warhol.

The Painting Factory: Abstraction After Warhol

Ideally, these sensibilities should be able to coexist in a large museum like MOCA but it was not to be. Yet, Schimmel’s departure has left Deitch wildly vulnerable to critics who find him overly concerned with fashion, celebrity, music, TV and pop culture. Many are unnerved by his spur of the moment modus operandi. Indeed, when I checked the MOCA website for future exhibitions, nothing was posted for 2013 apart from an architecture show funded by the Getty. Deitch is said to enjoy his improvisational methods but it remains to be seen whether the museum can respond that quickly over any length of time. Perhaps, MOCA will be dark this spring. But it has emerged that MOCA is in discussions with USC about a future partnership so stay tuned!