MOCA Launches Warhol, Ono & Other Artist-Designed Face Masks

LOS ANGELES, CA —"Wearing a mask just got a whole lot cooler," said a trustee of The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, as the institution kicked off sales Thursday of its limited-production, artist-designed face masks, that meld COVID-19 guidelines with contemporary art.

The nine participating artists in the MOCA fundraising project include: Yoko Ono; Virgil Abloh; Mark Grotjahn; Alex Israel; Barbara Kruger; Catherine Opie; Pipilotti Rist; Hank Willis Thomas; and The Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts.

"Being a responsible and caring citizen amongst citizens just became even more beautiful because of these artists'contributions," MOCA Director Klaus Biesenbach said.

Some masks exclusively were designed by the artists for the MOCA effort, while others borrow from iconic works in the artists’ catalogues, museum officials said.

The masks are available at the online MOCA store here at $28 apiece or $280 for the entire collection, with proceeds to benefit the museum.

They are meant to securely and comfortably fit a wide range of faces, including children over 10 years old, and are made with two layers of fabric, featuring a pocket on the inside that fits a disposable filter for an added layer of protection, according to the museum.

MOCA operates the following venues: MOCA Grand Avenue at 250 South Grand Ave.; The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA and WAREHOUSE at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA at 152 North Central Ave.; and a site in the Nevada desert.

PHOTOS: Credit: Courtesy of The Museum of Contemporary Art. © Catherine Opie, Courtesy of Regen Projects, Los Angeles and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong and Seoul; © 2020 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; © Yoko Ono. Used by Permission/All Rights Reserved.

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