MOCA to host memorial for artist Craig Kauffman

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Artist Craig Kauffman, who passed away in May at the age of 78, was a Los Angeles icon whose brightly colored plastic works embodied the spirit of Southern California. This month, his friends and fans will have a chance to honor him in a memorial at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

[Updated at 11:51 a.m.: An earlier version of the post incorrectly said that the service would be open to the public. It will be a private service.]

The private event is scheduled to take place on July 21 at MOCA’s downtown location. The announcement was made by Jay Belloli, who organized the show ‘Craig Kauffman: A Retrospective of Drawings’ in 2008 at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena.

Kauffman died in the Philippines, where he had lived for a number of years. The cause of death was complications from pneumonia, after a recent stroke, according to the Frank Lloyd Gallery, which represented the artist and hosted his most recent exhibition that opened in April.

Born in L.A., Kauffman studied at USC and UCLA. He was associated with the legendary Ferus Gallery, which served as a nucleus of the city’s post-war art scene and helped launch the careers of artists such as Ed Moses, Ed Ruscha and Billy Al Bengston.

Click here for a photo gallery of Kauffman’s life and work.

-- David Ng