Orange County Museum of Art. The Orange County Museum of Art is a modern and contemporary art museum presently operating in a temporary space at South Coast Plaza Village in Santa Ana, California.
The museum's collection comprises more than 4,500 objects, with a concentration on the art of California and the Pacific Rim from the early 20th century to present. Exhibits include traditional paintings, sculptures, and photography, as well as new media in the form of video, digital, and installation art.
The museum was founded in 1962 as the Balboa Pavilion Gallery by 13 women who rented space in the Balboa Pavilion building in order to exhibit modern and contemporary art. By 1968 the institution became known as the Newport Harbor Art Museum, and in 1972 moved to a nearby, larger location.
In 1977 the museum opened its doors in Newport Beach on San Clemente Drive in Fashion Island. In 1997, the museum was remodeled and renamed the Orange County Museum of Art.
On May 31, 2018, officials unveiled the design for the museum's new building at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa created by Morphosis. The sale of the former Newport Beach site was announced on May 15, 2018. Groundbreaking for the three-story building took place in September 2019, with a projected opening in 2022. With nearly 25,000 square feet of exhibition galleries, approximately 50 percent more than in the current location, the new 52,000-s