Back To The Future At MoMA

Museum of Modern Art or what is more popularly known as MoMA, is indisputably the mecca for contemporary art lovers. An institution for the display and interpretation of the works of modern artists, MoMA has worked towards developing a taste in the contemporary arts that many pre-existing institutions have failed to do. An establishment completely dedicated to progessive art from the 19th, 20th and 21st century, the Manhattan museum recently underwent a $400 million refurbishment. With an additional 40,000 sq.ft. gallery space the expanded museum features a studio for live programming and performances, a creativity lab and a street studio that will better connect the museum to New York City. 

Offering an eye-opening experience, some of the timeless giants that will be on display include Van Gogh, Picasso, Dali, Rousseau and the like. In addition to the permanent collection, works of the lesser known artists will also be exhibited. Here’s a glimpse of what not to miss at the brand new MoMA. 

Inspired from the view from his window at the Saint-de-paul-Mausole asylum, Starry Night offers an insight into what painter Vincent Van Gogh saw in isolation. It has been part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art since 1941.

An 1897 oil painting by French artist, Henri Rousseau, The Sleeping Gypsy depicts an African Gypsy in a dessert wearing an oriental costume. The different items in the painting hold significant importance in the culture they belong to. 

A painting by the modern artist Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon  is an example of cubism painting. It took nearly nine months to complete it. 

Salvador Dali’s persistence of memory is often considered a surrealist masterpiece. The painting epitomizes Dali’s theories of ‘softness’ and ‘hardness’. The painting was first displayed in Julien Levy Gallery in New York in 1932 but now hangs in the Museum of Modern Art.

Water Lilies  is not one but a series of works by French Impressionist Claude Monet. Monet during his lifetime painted over 250 water lilies and in all of them focussed on the surface of the water. It is the presence of the water that helps the viewer understand it is a reflection.