
By SDCN Editor
San Diego, CA–The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego released its spring 2025 programming.
An Artful Life: A Tribute to Matthew C. Strauss
March 20 – August 3–Matthew C. Strauss (1933-2024), a passionate art advocate and generous philanthropist, built a world-class collection of contemporary art along with his wife, Iris. For over 35 years, the couple built a collection that features art world luminaries. Today, the Strauss Family Collection consists of over 300 original artworks by internationally recognized artists. The Strausses have repeatedly appeared on ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list.
An Artful Life features 22 distinguished works that highlight developments in painting from the 1970s to the current decade. Artists include Jennifer Bartlett, Cecily Brown, Damien Hirst, Alex Katz, Beatriz Milhazes, Takashi Murakami, Robert Rauschenberg, Julian Schnabel, and Mickalene Thomas, among others.
Iris and Matthew began their collecting journey through involvement with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, from viewing exhibitions in the La Jolla galleries to traveling internationally with the Museum. As the Strauss collection grew in scale and importance, so did its leadership in the arts community. Iris served on the San Diego Arts Commission. Matthew held leadership positions at the museum, serving as a trustee since 1991. As president from 2013-2016, he helped initiate the goal to expand the La Jolla location. This project changed the face of the museum, quadrupling the size of the existing gallery space to bring their permanent collection holdings to the public.
Developed through thoughtful research and trusted intuition, Matthew Strauss felt their collection made one look at art differently, offering new perspectives and deeper understandings of the world around us.
“My parents were passionate about art,” said Steve Strauss, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Board President. “Their mission to collect the best examples of contemporary art from the best artists led to the creation of one of the Top 200 collections in the world. They understood they were custodians of this art and were equally passionate about sharing and exhibiting their art collection with the community, including local art institutions, museums, colleges and universities.”
“Since 1986, Matthew and Iris Strauss’ generosity has supported our mission and vision – to connect diverse audiences to the transformative power of art,” explained Kathryn Kanjo, The David C. Copley Director and CEO. “This small slice of their impressive collection is a window into a life devoted to contemporary art at the highest level. It’s fitting that these works will be on display in the Strauss Galleries, named in their honor, in our expanded La Jolla facility. We hope it inspires the next generation of art collectors.”

Yan Pei-Ming: A Burial in Shanghai April 17, 2025 – January 4, 2026
An epic cycle of paintings by Chinese-born Yan Pei-Ming (b. 1960) will be presented in the United States for the first time.
Yan Pei-Ming’s commanding compositions convey psychological intensity despite their monochromatic restraint. He creates emotional portraits of renowned figures and friends that update traditional formats with contemporary resonance. The artist, who currently lives in France, alludes to Western art history and his biography in A Burial in Shanghai.
Comprised of three outsized canvases, this monumental triptych echoes Gustav Courbet’s (1819-1877) celebrated composition from 200 years earlier, A Burial at Ornans (1849-1850). The larger-than-life exhibition, which debuted at Paris’s Musée d’Orsay in 2019, will be on display in the Iris and Matthew Strauss West Gallery.
For more information, visit the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.