MOCA is Los Angeles's only institution devoted to art from 1940 to the present. Displaying works in a variety of media, it's strong in works by Cy Twombly, Jasper Johns, and Mark Rothko, and shows are often superb. For many experts, MOCA's collections are too spotty to be considered world class, and the conservative museum board blushes when offered controversial shows (they passed on a Whitney exhibit that included photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe). Nevertheless, I've seen some excellent exhibitions here.

MOCA is housed in three buildings: The Grand Avenue main building (250 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles) is a contemporary red sandstone structure by renowned Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. The museum restaurant, Patinette (daily 11am-4pm; tel. 213/626-1178), located here, is the casual-dining creation of celebrity chef Joachim Splichal. The museum's second space, on Central Avenue in Little Tokyo (152 North Central Ave., Los Angeles), was the "temporary" Contemporary while the Grand structure was being built, and now houses a superior permanent collection in a warehouse-type space that's been renamed for entertainment mogul and art collector David Geffen. An added feature is a detailed timeline corresponding to the progression of works. Unless there's a visiting exhibit of great interest at the main museum, I recommend that you start at the Geffen building -- where it's also easier to park. The third gallery, which opened in January 2001, is at the Pacific Design Center (8687 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood) -- it's the compact building next to the Pacific Design Center. Unlike the other two, admission to this galley is only $3, and emphasis is on contemporary architecture and design, as well as new work by emerging and established artists.