It’s hard to find a little peace and quiet in New York City, but the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) accomplishes it. With six levels of historic artwork covering the walls, it makes for a great day filled with travelling from floor to floor.
The Museum is located in midtown Manhattan at 11 West 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Ave.
Starting from the top is a great way to go through MoMA because there are pieces hanging between the floors. Right outside of the Museum, you can find The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden, which can be seen through the windows and walked through.
Each floor has benches where viewers can study the artwork further, or just take a quick breather. Headphones are available for use if you wish to gain more knowledge about the pieces and their creators. You’ll get a history lesson as you’re exploring to your heart’s content. MoMA received its first artworks in 1929, the year it opened.
Today the Museum’s collection has almost 200,000 pieces from around the world gathered throughout the last 150 years. According to their website, the collection “includes an ever-expanding range of visual expression, including painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, photography, architecture, design, film and media and performance art.”
MoMA is committed to helping everyone understand and enjoy their collection. Their website contains almost 60,000 pieces from nearly 10,000 artists. You can search the collection for a particular artist or artwork by filtering by date or classification. Those who go on the website can also view the art that is now on display at the museum, works that were recently added to the collection or an index of artists.
MoMA is open Sunday through Thursday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 pm. On Fridays, the Museum is open from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission for full-time students with current ID is $14, while admission for adults is $25. Children (16 and under) are free and seniors (65 and over with ID) are $18. The price of admission covers special exhibitions, audio programs, films and gallery talks. MoMA offers one free admission to active members of the U.S. military with valid ID as well as free admission for military families. U.S. military tickets are available at the information desk. All other tickets are available online or at the information desk.
Want some eating options? MoMA offers a café on the second floor in addition to an espresso bar. Terrace 5 is a café adjacent to the Painting and Sculpture galleries. The cafés are open Saturday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m to 7:30 p.m.
The Modern is a restaurant that overlooks The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden, which is open Monday through Friday from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. for dinner. Located outside MoMA at West 53rd Street and 6th ave is Halal Guys, authentic New York cuisine. Definitely try some of their rice and chicken gyros for $7 before you go home.
Take a break from the hustle and bustle of city life and explore the advancements of art throughout time. You’ll want to return to MoMA time and time again.
