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

Quick Information

ADDRESS

11 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019, USA

RECOMMENDED DURATION

3 hours

Timings

10:30–17:30

VISITORS PER YEAR

3000000

TICKETS

From $29

Did you know?

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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Why is the NYC Museum of Modern Art so famous?

Since the Museum of Modern Art started in 1929, the museum has become a space to develop and curate modern art. Over 9 decades, MoMA has come to be recognized as one of the most influential and integral repositories of modern Western masterpieces. Today, MoMA has a dual purpose: showcasing and preserving history through its permanent collection and creating a space for some of the newest and most important contemporary works of modern art. MoMA's curated collection includes works of architecture, design, painting, sculpture, photography, illustrated books, film, artist’s books, and electronic media.

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, and 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 MoMA

MoMA exhibitions >

Must-see artworks at MoMA

Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night (1889)

This iconic oil painting is considered a major artwork of the Post-Impressionist era. It draws inspiration from Van Gogh's stay at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in France. It is now showcased in Gallery 501 on Floor 5 of the museum.

Andy Warhol, Campbell's Soup Cans (1962)

MoMA's history in a nutshell

The idea for the Museum of Modern Art was born in 1929.
On November 7, 1929, nine days after the Wall Street Crash, MoMA opened to the public out of the Heckscher Building at 730 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
Its first successful loan exhibition was in November 1929. Paintings by Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne, and Seurat were displayed.
In 1931, MoMA hosted its first exhibition to focus on a single artist. They showcased more than 130 works by Henri Matisse.
The famous Picasso retrospective was held between 1939–40, helping it gain international significance.
In 1939, Abby Rockefeller's son, Nelson, was selected as MoMA's president by the board of trustees.
Soon after, the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden was created to honor Abby.
In 1939, MoMA moved to its address on 53rd Street.
On April 15, 1958, a fire broke out on the second floor of MoMA. An 18-foot-long Monet's Water Lilies painting was destroyed.
In 1997, the museum underwent renovation by Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi.
They began offering free online classes in April 2014.
In 2000, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center became an affiliate of The Museum of Modern Art.
The Museum of Modern Art went through its last round of renovations from June to October 2019.

Who founded the Museum of Modern Art?

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 November 7, 1929, in a rented office space on Fifty-seventh Street and Fifth Avenue.

About the MoMA building

MoMA library

The MoMA library features a collection that focuses on modern and contemporary art just like the parent museum. Its noncirculating collection includes painting, sculpture, prints, photography, film, and other art forms dating from the 1880s to the present. The library is also home to 300,000 books and exhibition catalogs, 1,000 periodicals, and 40,000 files about artists and artistic groups. The library's catalog is called Dadabase.

About MoMA PS1

Urban architecture of MoMA from the outside.

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, it 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.

More on the collaboration between MoMA and P.S.1

Frequently asked questions about MoMA New York

What is the cost of the admission ticket to MoMA NYC?

The prices of tickets to the Museum of Modern Art start at $28. You can purchase tickets to MoMA here.

Why was the Museum of Modern Art founded?

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.

Where is the MoMA located in New York?

MoMA is located at 11 W 53rd St, New York.

What is the idea behind the Museum of Modern Art?

MoMA New York 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, not only democratizing art but also embracing interdisciplinary approaches that open up fresh new perspectives about art and culture.

What is the difference between MoMA and MoMA PS1?

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.

Is the Museum of Modern Art worth visiting?

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 Pollock, at MoMA NYC.

How big is the Museum of Modern Art?

After its most recent renovation in 2019, MoMA added 47,000 square feet of gallery space. Its total floor area is 708,000 square feet.