Museum of Modern Art facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Museum of Modern Art

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City
Established	November 7, 1929; 95 years ago (1929-11-07)
Location	11 West 53rd Street Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Type	Art museum
Visitors	2,190,440 (2022)
Public transit access	Subway: Fifth Avenue/53rd Street (​ train) Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M7, M10, M20, M50, M104

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is a famous art museum in New York City. It's located in Midtown Manhattan, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA was started in 1929 by three amazing women: Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, Lillie P. Bliss, and Mary Quinn Sullivan. It opened just days after the big stock market crash.

MoMA was the first museum in America completely dedicated to modern art. Alfred H. Barr Jr. was its first director, and he helped the museum's collection grow very quickly. Even though there were money problems at first, the museum found its permanent home thanks to donations from the Rockefeller family. Today, MoMA is one of the most important places in the world for modern and contemporary art. It has over 200,000 artworks, including paintings, sculptures, photos, films, and designs. In 2022, it was one of the most visited museums in the United States.

Discover MoMA's History

The museum's main entrance

How MoMA Began (1929–1939)

The idea for MoMA came from Abby Aldrich Rockefeller and her two friends, Lillie P. Bliss and Mary Quinn Sullivan. People sometimes called them "the Ladies." They rented a small space in the Heckscher Building in Manhattan. The museum first opened its doors on November 7, 1929. This was just nine days after the Wall Street Crash, a very tough time for the economy.

Abby Rockefeller asked Anson Goodyear to be the museum's first president. Abby herself became the treasurer. MoMA was the first museum in America focused only on modern art. It was also the first in Manhattan to show European modern art. A famous Japanese-American photographer, Soichi Sunami, worked for the museum from 1930 to 1968. He took many pictures of the museum's art and events.

Alfred H. Barr Jr. became the museum's first director. Under his leadership, MoMA's collection grew fast. Their first successful art show in November 1929 featured paintings by famous artists like Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne, and Seurat.

MoMA moved several times in its first 10 years. Abby Rockefeller's husband, John D. Rockefeller Jr., wasn't a fan of modern art at first. He didn't want to give money for the museum. But eventually, he donated the land where the museum stands today. He also gave other gifts, becoming one of its biggest supporters.

During these early years, MoMA held many important exhibitions. One was a show of Vincent van Gogh's work in 1935. It had 66 oil paintings and 50 drawings. This show was a huge success and helped people appreciate Van Gogh's art even more.

Growing Famous (1930s to 1950s)

MoMA became known worldwide with a very popular Picasso art show in 1939–40. This show, put together by Alfred Barr, helped people see Picasso as one of the greatest artists of his time. It set the standard for future art shows at MoMA. In 1941, MoMA also hosted a special exhibition called "Indian Art of the United States." This show changed how people saw and displayed Native American art.

Abby Rockefeller's son, Nelson Rockefeller, became the museum's president in 1939. He was only 30 years old. He played a big part in getting publicity for MoMA, buying new art, and expanding the museum. His brother, David Rockefeller, joined the museum's board in 1948. The Rockefeller family has always been very involved with MoMA.

The museum's current home, designed by Philip L. Goodwin and Edward Durell Stone, opened on May 10, 1939. President Franklin D. Roosevelt even spoke at the opening from the White House! In 1958, the museum added a glass front to its second floor, looking out over the sculpture garden.

The 1958 Fire

On April 15, 1958, a fire broke out on the second floor. It destroyed a very long Monet Water Lilies painting. The fire started when workers were installing air conditioning and smoking near paint cans. One worker died, and several firefighters were hurt.

Most of the art had been moved, but large paintings like the Monet were still there. Art from higher floors was moved to the Whitney Museum of American Art nearby. Visitors and staff stuck above the fire escaped to the roof and then jumped to a neighboring building.

Modern Times (1960s to Today)

Stairs in the Museum of Modern Art

In 1969, MoMA was part of a discussion about a famous anti-war poster called And Babies. This poster was made by artists who were against the Vietnam War. MoMA had planned to help share the poster, but then decided not to. This caused some protests.

In 1971, Richard Hunt became the first African American sculptor to have a major solo art show at MoMA. This happened after protests asking for more Black artists to be included.

In 1983, MoMA greatly expanded its space. It more than doubled its gallery areas and added an auditorium, restaurants, and a bookstore. Even with these changes, the museum still needed more room for its growing collection.

In 1984, a group of 400 women artists held a protest outside MoMA. They were upset because the museum's big opening exhibition after renovations had very few female artists.

Big Renovations (1990s and 2000s)

Cross-section of the Museum of Modern Art

By the end of the 1900s, MoMA had 100,000 artworks. In 1997, the museum started planning a huge renovation and expansion. They chose Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi for the project. This plan almost doubled the space for MoMA's art shows and programs.

In 2000, MoMA officially joined with the P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center. This center is an independent modern art group in Long Island City, Queens. The P.S. 1 space stayed open for experimental art shows. It was also used while the main MoMA building was closed for renovations.

The main MoMA building closed completely in May 2002. MoMA moved its public shows to a temporary place called MoMA QNS in Queens. The whole project, including money for running the museum, cost $858 million. MoMA reopened its main building on November 20, 2004.

The new design got mixed reviews. Some people loved its simple, bright look. Others felt the layout wasn't great for showing the art collection.

Recent Changes (2010s to Present)

The museum's basement gift shop

In 2010, MoMA finished its merger with P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, officially renaming it MoMA PS1.

In 2011, MoMA bought the building next door, which used to be the American Folk Art Museum. In 2014, MoMA decided to tear down this building to make way for its expansion. This decision caused some debate because the building was quite new. However, MoMA needed the space for new galleries. A new skyscraper, 53W53, was also planned next to the museum.

MoMA's expansion plans included new gallery space within the 53W53 tower and a new annex. The goal of this renovation was to show more art from women, Latino, Black, Asian, and other underrepresented artists. The museum also changed how it displays art. Instead of separating art by type (like painting or design), it now shows all kinds of art together in time order.

The Museum of Modern Art closed for another big renovation from June to October 2019. When it reopened on October 21, 2019, MoMA had added even more gallery space, making it much larger.

MoMA's Amazing Artworks

MoMA has six main departments for its collection: Architecture and Design, Drawings and Prints, Film, Media and Performance, Painting and Sculpture, and Photography.

Many people believe MoMA has the best collection of modern Western masterpieces in the world. It holds over 150,000 individual artworks. It also has about 22,000 films and 4 million film stills (pictures from movies).

Here are some of the famous artworks you can find at MoMA:

• Francis Bacon, Painting (1946)
• Umberto Boccioni, The City Rises
• Paul Cézanne, The Bather
• Marc Chagall, I and the Village
• Giorgio de Chirico, The Song of Love
• Willem de Kooning, Woman I
• Salvador Dalí, The Persistence of Memory
• Pablo Picasso, Three Musicians
• Max Ernst, Two Children Are Threatened by a Nightingale
• Paul Gauguin, Te aa no areois (The Seed of the Areoi)
• Richard Hunt,
• Jasper Johns, Flag
• Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait With Cropped Hair
• René Magritte, The Empire of Lights
• René Magritte, False Mirror
• Kazimir Malevich, White on White 1918
• Henri Matisse, The Dance
• Henri Matisse, L'Atelier Rouge
• Piet Mondrian, Broadway Boogie-Woogie
• Claude Monet, Water Lilies triptych
• Barnett Newman, Broken Obelisk
• Barnett Newman, Vir Heroicus Sublimis (Man, Heroic and Sublime)
• Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
• Jackson Pollock, One: Number 31, 1950
• Henri Rousseau, The Dream, 1910
• Henri Rousseau, The Sleeping Gypsy
• Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night
• Andy Warhol, Campbell's Soup Cans
• Andrew Wyeth, Christina's World

Selected Collection Highlights

MoMA also has art by many other important European and American artists. These include Auguste Rodin, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Marcel Duchamp, Paul Klee, René Magritte, Henry Moore, Georgia O'Keeffe, Edward Hopper, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, and many more.

Photography at MoMA

MoMA's photography collection has over 25,000 works. It's considered one of the most important photography collections in the world. The Department of Photography was started in 1940. Edward Steichen (curator from 1947–1961) helped build a world-famous collection. His most famous exhibition was The Family of Man, seen by 9 million people.

John Szarkowski (curator from 1962–1991) continued to guide the department. He created important exhibitions like "New Documents" in 1967. This show featured photos by Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander, and Garry Winogrand. These photos had a casual, snapshot-like look and showed everyday subjects.

Films at MoMA

In 1932, MoMA's first director, Alfred Barr, said it was important to show films. He called film "the only great art form peculiar to the 20th century." The museum's Film Library was started in 1935. In 1937, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences praised MoMA for its work in collecting films. They said MoMA was helping people learn about film as a major art form.

The first curator of the film library was Iris Barry. She collected films and showed them in artistic and historical ways. Today, the film collection has more than 25,000 films. It's one of the best museum archives of international film art. The collection includes famous movies like Citizen Kane and Vertigo. It also has unique pieces like Andy Warhol's eight-hour film Empire and music videos.

MoMA's Library

The MoMA library is in Midtown Manhattan. It has a huge collection of books, magazines, and files about modern and contemporary art. This includes art from 1880 to today. The library has about 300,000 books, 1,000 different magazines, and 40,000 files about individual artists and art groups. It also has over 11,000 artist books.

The library is open to researchers by appointment. Its catalog is called "Dadabase." This catalog lists all the materials in the library. The library also has online resources like art databases and image collections.

Architecture and Design

MoMA's Department of Architecture and Design was created in 1932. It was the first museum department in the world to focus on both architecture and design. Philip Johnson was the first director of this department.

The collection has 28,000 works, including models of buildings, drawings, and photographs. A special part of the collection is the Mies van der Rohe Archive. It also features works by famous architects and designers like Frank Lloyd Wright, the Eameses, and Isamu Noguchi. The design collection includes many industrial and manufactured items. These range from a ball bearing to a Bell 47D1 helicopter. In 2012, the department even started collecting video games, from Pac-Man (1980) to Minecraft (2011).

Visiting MoMA

How Many Visitors?

In 2022, MoMA welcomed 2,190,440 visitors. This made it the 4th most-visited museum in the United States. It was also the third most-visited art museum in the U.S. This number was much higher than in 2021, but still less than before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.

MoMA used to be open every day since it started in 1929. But in 1975, it started closing one day a week to save money. In 2012, it went back to being open every day, including Tuesdays, which used to be its closed day.

Admission Cost

Since 2011, it costs $25 for an adult to enter MoMA. When MoMA reopened in 2004, the price went up from $12 to $20. This made it one of the more expensive museums in New York City. However, you can get in for free on Fridays after 5:30 PM, thanks to the Uniqlo Free Friday Nights program. Many college students in the New York area can also get in for free.

Key People at MoMA

Directors of MoMA

• Alfred H. Barr Jr. (1929–1943)
• Rene d'Harnoncourt (1949–1968)
• Bates Lowry (1968–1969)
• John Brantley Hightower (1970–1972)
• Richard Oldenburg (1972–1994)
• Glenn D. Lowry (1995–present)

Chief Curators

• Philip Johnson, chief curator of architecture and design (1932–1934 and 1946–1954)
• Arthur Drexler, chief curator of architecture and design (1951–1956)
• Peter Galassi, chief curator of photography (1991–2011)
• Rajendra Roy, chief curator of film (2007–present)
• Ann Temkin, chief curator of painting and sculpture (2008–present)
• Paola Antonelli, director of research and development and senior curator of architecture and design (2012–present)
• Stuart Comer, chief curator of media and performance art (2014–present)
• Martino Stierli, chief curator of architecture and design (2015–present)

Images for kids

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  MoMA's diverse identities through gender, continents, and nationalities.

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  Claude Monet's early 20th century landscape Reflections of Clouds on the Water-Lily Pond

See also

• List of largest art museums
• List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City
• List of most-visited museums in the United States
• Dorothy Canning Miller
• Sam Hunter
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
• Talk to Me (exhibition)
• The Family of Man