Museum Project : MoMA
Paul Alzate, Ayelet Chovev, Sara Wong
[oral presentation: A– . Published form: A]
The Museum of Modern Art was founded by Lillie P. Bliss, Mrs. Cornelius J. (Mary Quinn) Sullivan, and Mrs. John D. (Abby Aldrich) Rockefeller, Jr. They were three progressive women who were married or related to very wealthy and influential men. They all appreciated fine art and possessed extensive personal contemporary art collections. Bliss’s own collection consisted of post-impressionist and contemporary art and in 1921, she convinced the Metropolitan Museum of Art to hold a contemporary art exhibition, in hopes of sharing her love of art. However, many patrons where furious with the exhibition, causing the Metropolitan Museum of Art to forbid future contemporary art shows. (Hunter 9) Rockefeller also had a personal art collection and wished to open a museum exclusively for modern art. (Hunter 10) Bliss, Rockefeller, and Sullivan decided to establish such a museum and in 1929, they asked A. Conger Goodyear to be chairman of the museum. He, in turn, appointed Mrs. W. Murray Crane, Frank Crowninshield, and Paul J. Sachs, who recruited Alfred Barr to be the art director. (Hunter 10) Together, these significant members of the art and patron community created the Museum of Modern Art, a place where contemporary art would be accessible to the public.
However, the Museum of Modern Art soon found competition. The Whitney Museum, which also displayed contemporary art, was established around the same time. (Elderfield 37) The Metropolitan Museum of Art felt pressure to create its own contemporary art program in response to the two modern art museums. As a result, works of art were often fought over. (Elderfield 38) However, the founders of the Museum of Modern Art donated their personal collections, maintaining the museum’s intent of having an educational and varied art collection. (Hunter 10) Immediately following World War Two, the Museum of Modern Art acquired a large amount of artwork, greatly attributing to the collection, which now expands over one hundred fifty years. (Bee 18) Today, the museum owns over 6000 drawings, 50000 prints and illustrated books, 25000 photographs, 3200 paintings and sculptures, 24000 architectural and design works, and 20000 films, video, and media works, as a result of gifts, donations, and purchases. (Bee 18)
The Modern Museum of Art is an educational place that works to be an “evolving idea” instead of a “treasure house.” (Lowry 10) In 1997, Yoshio Taniguchi was hired to be the chief architect in the renovation of the museum. His vision brought the museum to be an open space, where the main focus, the artwork, is enhanced, but not overshadowed by its environment. (Lowry 20) In 1998, the Museum of Modern Art merged with P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center in Long Island City, Queens. (Lowry 21) This furthered the museum as an educational place and as a part of the community.
The Museum of Modern Art is primarily an educational institution that is committed to “establishing, preserving, and documenting a permanent collection of the highest order that reflects the vitality, complexity, and unfolding patterns of modern and contemporary art.” (“What is…”) The Museum practices this commitment by holding exhibitions and programs, by sustaining a world-renowned library, archives, and conservation laboratory, and by supporting erudition and publications. The museum recognizes the history and importance of modern art and its many forms. It also acknowledges that these contemporary artworks are open to many opinions and will encourage intellectual thought and debate. “In sum, The Museum of Modern Art seeks to create a dialogue between the established and the experimental, and the past and the present, in an environment that is responsive to the issues of modern and contemporary art, while being accessible to a public that ranges from scholars to young children.” (“What is…”)
Because MoMA is a New York City landmark, when we recently went to visit, the museum was flooded with tourists of all ages. The range was vast: from young college students not unlike ourselves, to elderly couples, to families with toddlers. It seemed that MoMA had something to attract everyone, no matter a visitor’s age.
There is a casual, somewhat noisy atmosphere in the museum, which is great because this allows visitors to discuss the artwork without feeling disruptive to other people. There are also wide, open spaces that are common in many art galleries that add to the casual atmosphere because the visitor feels that he could view any section of the museum he desires.
There are all types of art displayed in MoMA, which are spread out and divided between each of the six floors. Eponymously, the museum specializes in modern art, and the art ranges from the proto-modern art of van Gogh, which is representational in its shapes and colors, to the abstract expressionism of Jackson Pollock, whose lines are jagged and inorganic, and the values vary wildly. Starting on the first floor there is a sculpture garden. The second floor houses contemporary galleries, prints and illustrated books, media, and special exhibitions. On the third floor you’ll find architecture and design, drawings, photography, and more special exhibitions. Floors four and five contain painting and sculptures from the 1880s through the 1970s. Currently, on floor six you will find the special exhibitions of Ron Arad and James Ensor. Wall texts throughout the museum range from several paragraphs of biographical information to a few lines about the specific painting. They are easy to find and process, enriching the experience instead of distracting from the artwork. There is also a world-renowned research library that is open to the public, which makes even more information about the works easily accessible. In addition, there are information booths on each floor near the escalators, in which one employee is available to give directions and other information.
MoMA’s mission statement is to document, preserve modern art and to present this art to the world. Not only is there is no genre of modern art that is lacking in MoMA, but seemingly every possible barrier was thought out and avoided as well. For example, those who cannot afford to pay are admitted for free on Friday evenings, disabled visitors can use the escalators or elevators, and can certainly navigate freely with a wheelchair through the wide, spacious halls of the museum. Everything is neatly organized and made easily accessible to those seeking to quench their artistic thirst.
Although we spent hours perusing the different galleries and exhibits of MoMA, we all agree that we would return. While it is true that a person can never examine a piece of artwork too many times, the museum is constantly updating their exhibits and bringing in debut pieces from new artists to break out into the modern art world. We would all return to MoMA because it will never be the same experience twice.
Overall, we found the Modern Museum of Art to be a very efficient museum that accomplishes its mission. We would not change anything about the museum, because the museum is sensitive to the latest trends in contemporary art, and therefore actualizes its exhibitions according to the ever-changing climate of the art world.
Works Cited
Bee, Harriet Schoenholz and Cassandra Heliczer, ed. MoMA Highlights. Second Edition. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2004. Print.
Elderfield, John, ed. The Museum of Modern Art at Mid Century: Continuity and Change.New York: The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1995. Print
Hunter, Sam. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1984. Print
Lowry, Glenn D. The New Museum of Modern Art. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2005. Print.
“What is the Museum’s Mission?” moma.org. The Museum of Modern Art, 2009. 2 October 2009. <http://www.moma.org/learn/resources/library/faq_moma_research#momamission>
Museum of Modern Art. (2009). Plan/Information [Brochure]. New York, NY: MoMA.
Museum of Modern Art. 2009.<http://www.moma.org/about/index>.
(Museum of Modern Art should be underlined)
Alliance for the Arts. 4 Oct. 2009. http://www.nyc-arts.org/categories/index/id/30/lett/M.
