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Everything you need to know about the Museum of Modern Art in NYC
The Museum of Modern Art aims to provide a space to the art of our times and is dedicated exclusively to the most progressive tendencies in modern art. Located in midtown Manhattan, it is one of the first muse...
Also Known As
MoMA
Founded On
1929
Founded By
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, Lillie P. Bliss and Mary Quinn Sullivan
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)Museum of Modern Art
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Plan your visitFun facts
MoMA's remarkable growth: The Museum of Modern Art began with just eight prints and one drawing back in 1929. From these humble beginnings, it has now grown its collection to over 200,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, architectural models and drawings, and design objects.
The Rockefeller connection: One of the founding patrons of the Museum of Modern Art, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, is the daughter-in-law of John D. Rockefeller. John D. Rockefeller is widely considered the richest American and biggest philanthropist in modern history.
The MoMA own guard dog: In 1933, Don, a German Shepherd, was given to The Museum of Modern Art by Vanity Fair magazine. Don had been instituted as a guard dog at MoMA after a highly publicized burglary at the Brooklyn Museum.
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Collection highlights
MoMA's collection includes more than 150,000 individual pieces, 22,000 films and 4 million film stills.
Drawing & prints
At MoMA, you will find over 11,000 items that were created on paper, using pencil, ink, charcoal, as well as watercolors, gouaches, collages, and works in mixed mediums. They also house over 60,000 contemporary prints and illustrated books.
Explore the drawings & prints section
Painting & sculpture
MoMA houses the world’s largest collection of modern paintings and sculptures. You will find close to 3,600 works from the late nineteenth century, such as Paul Cézanne’s The Bather and Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night, to masterworks of today.
More about MoMA paintings
Film
Since its founding in 1935, the Film Library has been able to acquire over 30,000 films and 1.5 million film stills, from across periods and genres. The film collection is stored in the Museum’s Celeste Bartos Film Preservation Center that opened in June 1996.
Film department at MoMA
Media & performance
The Department of Media and Performance at the Museum of Modern Art has also been collecting, exhibiting, and preserving time-based art, such as moving images, film installations, video, performance, motion- and sound-based works since the 1960s.
More about media & performance
Architecture & design
The Architecture & Design department, the first of its kind in the world, works on the principle that architecture and design are allied and interdependent arts. The department's collection includes 28,000 works ranging from large-scale design objects to works on paper and architectural models.
Explore MoMA's architecture department
Photography
The Museum of Modern Art began collecting modern photography in 1930 and today, has a holding of more than 25,000 works of modern and contemporary photography. They have curated works not only by artists, but photographs by journalists, scientists, entrepreneurs, and amateurs as well.
Photography department at MoMAMust-see artworks at MoMA
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Who founded the Museum of Modern Art?
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The MoMA was founded in 1929 by three collectors, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller and her friends Lillie P. Bliss and Mary Quinn Sullivan. They wanted to create a contemporary alternative to the Metropolitan; a museum that would showcase the kind of European art that they liked. They roped in A. Conger Goodyear, who had been ejected from a gallery board in Buffalo for buying a Picasso, to be their administrator. With Paul J. Sachs as an investor and Alfred Barr as the project’s director, the Museum of Modern Art opened on 7 November 1929 in a rented office space on Fifty-seventh Street and Fifth Avenue.
About the MoMA buildingAbout MoMA PS1
Founded in 1971 by Alanna Heiss as the Institute for Art and Urban Resources Inc, with the aim of converting abandoned spaces in NYC into exhibition spaces. In 1976, Heiss opened the P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center and over time, became one of the leading contemporary art centers in New York.
In 2000, P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center became an affiliate of the Museum of Modern Art, in a bid to extend the reach of both institutions. Continuing its mission to promote contemporary art, today, MoMA PS1 is known for its exhibitions that put forward experimental and thought-provoking art.
Frequently asked questions about MoMA
Q. How much does it cost to visit MoMA in NYC?
A. The prices of tickets to the Museum of Modern Art starts at $30. You can purchase tickets to MoMA here.
Q. When was the MoMA founded.
A. MoMA was founded on 7 November 1929, nine days after the Wall Street Crash.
Q. Why was the Museum of Modern Art founded?
A. The idea for the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) was developed by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, Lillie P. Bliss, and Mary Quinn Sullivan, who came to be known as "the Ladies" or "the adamantine ladies". They wanted to create a museum that would showcase European art like the ones they liked to see.
Q. Where is the MoMA located in New York?
A. MoMA is located at 11 W 53rd St, New York.
Q. What is the purpose of the Museum of Modern Art?
A. MoMA was created with the vision of sharing modern and contemporary art with the public. 90 years since, the museum continues to work towards this mission, but not only democratizing art, but also embracing interdisciplinary approaches that open up fresh new perspectives about art.
Q. What is the difference between MoMA and MoMA PS1?
A. MoMA PS1, which started out as a center dedicated to promoting contemporary artists, is an affiliate of Manhattan's MoMA. While MoMA collects and showcases famous modern art pieces, MoMA PS1 focuses on providing the space for new and innovative ideas by artists.
Q. Is the Museum of Modern Art worth visiting?
A. If you enjoy art, and art history, MoMA should be on your list of must-visit venues. Discover some of the greatest works of modern art by renowned artists like Monet, Matisse, Van Gogh, Seurat, and Chagall, at the MoMA.
Q. How big is the Museum of Modern Art?
A. With its 2019 renovation, MoMA added 47,000 square feet of gallery space. Its total floor area is 708,000 square feet.
