NYC: Museum of Modern Art

Now that MoMA (the Museum of Modern Art) has moved back into the city, from its two-year temporary location in Queens, you must play hooky for a few hours and check out the new locations and exhibits. 

Now located at 11 West 53rd Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues, the six-story museum now has nearly twice its former capacity.  It is easily reached by subway (E or V to 5th/53rd; B, D, or F to 47-50/Rock Center).

There is a sculpture garden that should be a great place to wander in the nice weather. I was there in inclement weather, and the garden was closed, but I did peek out at it, longing for a summer day.  The garden features modern sculpture, reflecting pools, and plants.

The art collection has grown from an initial gift of eight prints and one drawing to a collection of over 150,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, architectural models and drawings, and design objects.  The museum also owns over 22,000 films and over four million still photos. 

The exhibitions maintain a nice balance of subject, style, mediums, and time periods.  It’s the kind of place you can spend a few hours or the entire day, depending on what your schedule will allow.  I spent a couple of hours there on a cold, windy February day, and escaped to a world so different from every day life.  There is bound to be something to catch your eye, soothe you, challenge you, or make you fall in love.  Andy Warhol’s “Hammer & Sickle” caught my attention, as it is so different from the work that I typically associate with him.

Museum hours are Monday, Wednesday-Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 10:30 am to 5:30 pm.  Friday till 8 pm.  It is closed on Tuesday. Tickets are $20/adults, $16/seniors, and $12 students.  Children under 16 are free.  Tickets are available online, and will save you lots of time waiting in the ticket line.  The museum is a smoke-free and cell phone-free facility. 

If you can’t get there in person, consider these books:

MoMA Highlights: 350 Works from the Museum of Modern Art New York, or Modern Contemporary: Art Since 1980 at MoMA”

Photo credit:  Jon Rochetti, c. 2006