Photo courtesy MOLAA.org

Last week, the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) in Long Beach was named one of 26 institutions across Southern California to receive a grant from the Getty Foundation as part of a widespread initiative to celebrate Los Angeles-area art in the 1945-1980 time period.

MOLAA will receive $100,000 to host an exhibit in Fall 2011 that examines the artistic link between Los Angeles and Mexico, entitled MEX/LA: The Legacy of Mexican Modernism in Los Angeles.

The Getty Foundation initiative is called Pacific Standard Time and includes museums across Southern California that will all present unique exhibits, an unprecedented series of exhibitions that celebrate at in Post WWII Los Angeles.

“I commend the Getty for their leadership and investment in Los Angeles Arts, and for bringing all these institutions together to share and celebrate an amazing history,” Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a recent press release.

“This initiative will certainly drive cultural tourism to our city and show the world all we have to offer. Pacific Standard Time reinforces Los Angeles’ reputation as a major cultural destination.”

The MEX/LA exhibit at MOLAA will run from September 2011 to January 2012, featuring more than 100 objects including murals completed in the greater Los Angeles area by David Alfaro Siqueiros and Jose Clemente Orozco, other paintings and even performance art that stimulated an entire generation of American artists.