MOCA remembers Lillian Lovelace

MOCA is deeply saddened by the death last week of Lillian Lovelace, a longtime Trustee of the museum and a major patrons of the arts in Southern California for over half a century.

Lovelace was a patron of MOCA for the past 43 years, since the founding of the museum, initially in 1981 as a charter founder, then as a Trustee of the Board of Trustees from 1995 to 2019, and as a Life Trustee from 2019 until her passing. From 2012-2019, Lovelace also served as an Officer of the Board in the capacity of Vice Chair. In 2017, MOCA honored Lovelace with its Distinguished Women in the Arts Award.

"Lillian was a dear friend and mentor to many of us, as well as a foundational donor and trustee whose vision, intellect and generosity kept MOCA independent and thriving. We will miss her deeply,” said Maria Seferian, Chair of the MOCA Board of Trustees.

Along with her husband Jon Lovelace, a CEO of the investment company Capital Group (which had been started by his father), she was a quiet force across many arts organizations, supporting the Santa Barbara Museum of Art for decades, as well as the California Institute of the Arts and the Getty Museum. Lovelace made significant contributions to MOCA at several key moments throughout its history, and gave generously to exhibitions such as "Andy Warhol Retrospective" (2001), "Visual Music" (2005), "Ecstasy: In and About Altered States" (2005), and "Kerry James Marshall: Mastry" (2017).

The museum extends its condolences to her family.