The artworks displayed at MoMA are known to almost everyone. These include Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night”, Matisse’s “Dance”, Dalí’s “The Persistence of Memory”, and Picasso’s “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” and “Sleeping Peasants.”
Inside its futuristic 65,000-square-meter building, MoMA houses over 200,000 pieces of modern and contemporary art. It features movements like Cubism, Surrealism, Abstraction, Minimalism, and Pop Art. Here, you can see original works by Kazimir Malevich, Paul Cézanne, Frida Kahlo, Gustav Klimt, Marc Chagall, and Andy Warhol.
MoMA’s history
It was the first museum in the U.S. devoted exclusively to modern art. Founded by Abby Rockefeller, wife of John D. Rockefeller — who strongly opposed both the museum and modern art in general.
Thanks to an exhibition on November 4, 1935, the then-underappreciated Vincent van Gogh achieved worldwide recognition. Alongside his oil paintings and sketches, excerpts from his letters were also displayed.
Between 1939 and 1940, MoMA set a new standard for art museums by presenting a landmark exhibition of works by Pablo Picasso, then considered the greatest living artist.
From 1947 to 1953, MoMA temporarily transferred works to the Metropolitan Museum of Art — pieces that had transitioned from “modern” to “classical.” Had that agreement not been terminated, MoMA would have lost much of its core collection.
In 1958, a fire destroyed Monet’s five-meter-wide Water Lilies. The Water Lilies currently on display were later acquired as replacements.
MoMA has undergone renovation and expansion under Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi. His innovative ideas — especially the concept of “spatial flow” — still spark mixed reactions.
MoMA’s collection
MoMA’s collection spans nearly 200,000 works across six curatorial departments. Architecture & Design, Drawings & Prints, Film, Media & Performance, Painting & Sculpture, Photography and Media.
With highlights like van Gogh’s The Starry Night, Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, Monet’s Water Lilies, Matisse’s The Dance, Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans, Chagall’s I and the Village.
Exhibitions at MoMA
- Rosa Barba: The Ocean of One’s Pause (through July 6, 2025)
- Video After Video: The Critical Media of CAMP (through July 20, 2025)
- Otobong Nkanga: Cadence (through July 27, 2025)
- Jack Whitten: The Messenger (through August 2, 2025)
- Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction (through September 13, 2025)
- Hilma af Klint: What Stands Behind the Flowers (through September 27, 2025)
- Projects: Ufuoma Essi (through October 13, 2025)
- Pirouette: Turning Points in Design (through October 18, 2025)
- Light: Rafaël Rozendaal (continuing into Fall 2025)
- Odili Donald Odita: Songs from Life (continuing into Spring 2026)
This rich and evolving program blends iconic masterpieces with cutting-edge contemporary art and immersive new media.
Plan Your Visit to MoMA
You can visit The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) at 11 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019 (Google Maps). Tickets are $30 for adults, $22 for seniors (65+), and $17 for students at the door (online prices are slightly lower). Children under 16 and caregivers accompanying visitors with disabilities enter for free. Tickets and details: moma.org.
