On Monday my mom and I went to MOMA, or the Museum of Modern Art. Since it was both my mom’s first time there and mine, we grabbed a brochure from the shelf where we bought our tickets. From the moment we stepped in the first gallery, I knew I could not possibly see everything in the museum. First there were film theaters: an international collection of some 22,000 moving image works incorporates all periods of more than a century of film.
Second floor was MOMA’s extensive media collection that comprises 1,200 media and video works dating from the late 1960s to present day. Also on the second floor sat 53,000 prints and illustrated books.
Third floor first showcased drawings- 10,000 works in pencil, ink, charcoal, as well as watercolors and collages. Second, the photography section was comprised of 25,000 works from the 1840s on, showing applications of journalism, science and commerce. Lastly was the Architecture and Design section, where 28,000 works sat, ranging from large scale design objects to works on paper and architectural models.
Fourth & Fifth floors showcase Painting and Sculpture. These, the most popular floors, are where the Matisse’s sit, the van Gogh’s, the Picassos, the Cézannes, the Rothko’s. This, my favorite two floors, is where I will focus my blog.
One of my favorite oil paintings was Jasper John’s Map, which was made in 1961. It’s a map of the United States, but from far away it’s not recognizable. Just the bright colors draw you to it, and then you look to see what it actually is. Incidentally, Johns also made the oil and collage Flag, made from 1954-55. The Map's information card is shown below.
My other favorite was by Andy Warhol. The work, entitled Campbell’s Soup Cans, was made in1962 and is made of synthetic polymer paint on 32 canvases. Each canvas corresponded to a flavor of Campbell’s soup.
The other huge painting at MOMA was Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night, and oil on canvas made in 1889. The information card next to the painting said “The Starry Night embodies an inner, subjective expression of van Gogh’s response to nature. In thick sweeping brushstrokes, a flame like cypress unites the churning sky and the quiet village below. The village was partly invented, and the church spire evokes van Gogh’s native land, the Netherlands.”
The artwork of the museum and the layout of the rooms make this a must see on any New York City visit.
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