Morán Morán cofounder Mills Morán is stepping away from the day-to-day operations of the Los Angeles gallery he started with his brother, Al Morán.
Mills Morán said he will instead focus his attention on Felix Art Fair, the fair he cofounded with Al and collector Dean Valentine in 2018, running alongside Frieze Los Angeles and one of the main stops during the city’s fair week each February. Located at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel since its launch, the fair has now staged eight editions.
“After almost 20 years of building Morán Morán alongside my brother, I’ve made the emotional and difficult decision to step away from the gallery’s day-to-day operations,” Mills Morán wrote in a statement that was shared with artists and colleagues on Monday. “The gallery has been a central and defining part of my life, but I feel confident that this is the right moment to step back from daily responsibilities and make space for new perspectives and continued growth.”
Founded in 2008 as OHWOW and ultimately renamed to Morán Morán in 2018, the gallery has built a reputation for mixing emerging and mid-career artists with historical material while cultivating a loose, experimental program that featured performances, happenings, and curator-led projects. Over the years, the gallery has worked with artists like Ryan Trecartin, SoiL Thornton, Keltie Ferris, Eve Fowler, Jacolby Satterwhite, Cauleen Smith, Michael Genovese, and the estates of Dash Snow and Robert Mapplethorpe.
Speaking to ARTnews, Morán framed the decision less as a business maneuver than a personal recalibration after nearly two decades in the art world’s nonstop travel and social circuit.
“Without getting into too much detail, the process of building this gallery and in turn my career in the art world required significant personal sacrifices that I am unwilling to make anymore,” he said, adding that after rebalancing his priorities “it has become of paramount importance for me to be present for people that care for me and those that need me in their life.”
Morán added that he sees Felix as a way to support a wider swath of the art ecosystem at a moment when many smaller and midsize galleries are under increasing financial pressure.
“I put almost 20 years into championing the careers of artists, being present at every museum and gallery show, traveling around the world on this circus, providing emotional and financial support and significant opportunities to my roster of artists,” he said. With Felix, whose focus is the exhibitors who show at the fair, “I can pivot my energy to championing galleries and their survival and indirectly affecting and assisting a broader range of international artists.”
He added: “It is also exciting for me to think about other opportunities developing over time as well.”
Morán said he will remain connected to the gallery and “invested in its future,” while Al Morán continues leading the business.
