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Address:
11 W. 53rd Street
Phone:
(212) 708-9400
Hours:
Sat-Tues & Thurs:10:30am-5:45pm; Fri: 10:30am-8:15pm; closed major holidays
Cost:
Adult: 10.00
Child: Free
Senior: 6.50
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Overview Inside Tips
Known as ''Moma'' or ''the Modern'' to native New Yorkers, the Museum of Modern Art is one of the city’s greatest cultural treasures. This world renowned museum houses some of the finest works of art from the 20th century including pieces from van Gogh, Picasso and Monet.
The Museum was opened in 1929 with the works of four artists: Cezanne, van Gogh, Gaugin and Seurat. They were all relatively unknown artists in the United States and the creators of the museum were taking quite a risk. Fortunately, the exhibition was a huge success and the Museum of Modern Art was born.
Since then, the museum has maintained a reputation of having the most comprehensive collection of modern art in existence. The museum owns over 100,000 paintings, drawings, sculptures and other works by the greatest artists of the 20th century. Most of the works are on display on the second and third floor of the museum, but the first floor is noteworthy because of the 110-foot high atrium that meets visitors entering on 54th street. The atrium contains trees, fountains and a sculpture garden.
The best way to see the works is to take the self-guided tour. Starting with Postimpressionism, the tour will take you through the second and third floor galleries. After Postimpressionism, the tour moves on to Cubism, Dadaism, and Surrealism, ending with the Mexican art of the 30’s. The strongest points of the museum on the second floor include the exhibits on Dadaism, the School of Paris and Surrealistic drawings. Other highlights include the museum’s Department of Photography, which includes over 15,000 prints.
The third floor continues with Mexican art and then moves into European art and abstract expressionism, pop art and other modern pieces. This floor is comprised mostly of drawings, prints and illustrated books. Some of the notable pieces from the third floor include works from de Kooning, Jackson Pollack and Roy Lichtenstein.
The fourth floor houses the museum’s collection of architecture and design. MOMA is one of the few art museums that has a section dedicated to architecture. There are over 60 models on display along with over 1,000 photos and drawings. Two of the featured architects are Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright. The design section of the museum displays items like housewares, a Formula One race car and a Bell-47 helicopter.
MOMA is also known for its collection of movies and film. The museum owns over 10,000 films, four million stills and has recently become known as one of the best venues in the city to see classic and foreign films. The movies are run in the afternoon and evenings and are included free with the museum’s admission.
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