LOS ANGELES, CA.- In 2005 the Hammer launched an initiative to build a collection of contemporary art through both purchases and gifts. Recognizing the variety of media that contemporary artists employ, this growing collection of nearly 1500 works includes drawings, photography, sculpture, painting, film and video. In an effort to reflect the museum’s history of exhibitions, many artists represented in the collection—and whose work is on view in this exhibition—have participated in our Hammer Projects series, one of our biannual Hammer Invitational exhibitions, or in a monographic or thematic exhibition presented at the Hammer. With the goal of collecting in depth while continually broadening the collection, our focus has been on the acquisition of key works by influential artists from World War II to the present moment, paying particular attention to work made in Southern California. This is the third exhibition