The Orange County Museum of Art has officially become part of the University of California, Irvine, just three years after reopening in its brand-new $98 million facility. The university announced on Monday, September 29, that it had finalized the acquisition of the museum, creating a significant merger in Southern California's art landscape.
The merger will establish a new institution called the UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art, combining OCMA with the UC Irvine Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art (Langson IMCA). UC Irvine will take on full fiduciary responsibility for the new organization and will oversee curatorial and programming decisions following a transition period. The combined museum will house an impressive collection of more than 9,000 works of art, with approximately 4,500 pieces coming from each institution.
OCMA has a rich history dating back to 1962, when it was founded by 13 women in Newport Beach as the Balboa Pavilion Gallery. The institution was later renamed the Newport Harbor Art Museum before becoming OCMA in 1996. A pivotal moment came in 1981 when Paul Schimmel was appointed chief curator, significantly strengthening the museum's collection with works by prominent California artists including John Baldessari, Chris Burden, Vija Celmins, and Ed Kienholz.
After more than a decade of planning, OCMA unveiled its stunning new 53,000-square-foot building in Costa Mesa in 2022, designed by renowned architecture firm Morphosis. The museum joined the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in the cultural district. Notably, a $2.5 million donation from Newport Beach businessman Mordechai "Moti" Ferder established free admission for the next 10 years, though Ferder has since become embroiled in controversy.
The Langson IMCA was established by UC Irvine in 2017 following the university's acquisition of two significant collections of modern and contemporary California art: the Buck Collection and the Irvine Museum Collection. In 2022, Jack and Shanaz Langson made a generous donation to support plans for a new building for the institution, which currently operates from a temporary location on Von Karman Avenue, just a few miles from OCMA. These building plans will likely be abandoned as the Langson IMCA is expected to eventually relocate to OCMA's facility.
The acquisition comes after a turbulent period for OCMA, marked by leadership changes and financial scandals involving a major donor. In summer 2024, 14 trustees departed from OCMA's board and were quietly replaced by 10 new appointees, according to reports by the Los Angeles Times, which described an atmosphere of unrest at the contemporary art museum. As a direct result of the university acquisition, OCMA's board has been completely dissolved.
The controversy surrounding Ferder has cast a shadow over the museum's operations. Earlier this year, the businessman who funded OCMA's free admission policy faced accusations of fraud, civil theft, and other financial crimes in multiple lawsuits. Ferder served as CEO of Lugano Diamonds and Jewelry until his resignation in May, after which he reportedly fled to Israel and has been attempting to transfer assets out of the United States, according to court filings in federal and county courts. Despite these developments, an OCMA representative told the LA Times that "the pledge made by Lugano Diamonds is current, and our goal remains to keep admission to the museum free."
Leadership transitions have also affected both institutions. OCMA's CEO and Director Heidi Zuckerman announced this spring that she would step down at the end of the year. Meanwhile, the Langson IMCA has been operating under interim leadership since May 2024, following the departure of its founding director, Kim Kanatani.
A nationwide search is currently underway to find a director for the newly combined institution. A spokesperson indicated to Hyperallergic that they hope to finalize the selection process and choose a successor by the beginning of next year. Both organizations will continue their planned programming through 2026 as they work to develop a unified institutional identity and integrate their operations under the UC Irvine umbrella.
