The hits just keep coming at MoMA, New York’s premier repository of eye-popping modern art. For it’s here you can ogle everything from bucket-listers like Monet’s Water Lilies, Van Gogh’s Starry Nights and Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans to lesser-known sculptural masterpieces, thought-provoking film and photography, and an ever-changing roster of specially curated exhibitions.
We flashed our New York Passes at this Midtown Manhattan must-see to get you all the info on the collection’s unmissable highlights, plus eating and drinking options, gift store must-haves and more.
Art aficionados, step right this way to find out…
- What MoMA is and why you should visit
- How to find it and how to get in
- What there is to see
- What there is to do nearby
WHaT the HeCK is MoMA?
In case you haven’t been paying attention at the back, MoMA is shorthand for the Museum of Modern Art, a landmark Midtown Manhattan repository for some of the most important works from the late 19th Century right up to the present day. Impressionists, Cubists, Surrealists, Futurists, Abstract Expressionists, Pop Artists; you’ll find them all here, and then some.
In its near-100-year history, MoMA has amassed a collection of some 200,000 prints, paintings, photographs, sculptures and other works of design and architecture, hosting major exhibitions by the likes of Francis Bacon, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Frank Lloyd Wright along the way. In other words, in a city renowned for its exceptional art museums (looking at you, the Met, the Guggenheim and the Whitney), MoMA stands very tall indeed. Well ok, six stories tall to be precise, but those six stories pack one hell of an artistic punch.
Give me five good reasons why I should visit…
Surrealist MoMA mainstay Marcel Duchamp considered all art to be subjective, believing that the individual spectator plays just as important a role in the creative process as the artist. So it hardly seems appropriate for us to say which are the ‘best’ pieces of art in the collection, but here are a select few favorites you might not want to skip.
- Duchamp’s Bicycle Wheel. Where better to start than with Duchamp himself? But is it ‘art’ or is it, well, just a bicycle wheel jammed into the seat of a stool? That’s up to you. Just don’t try to sit on it. Or ride it.
- Van Gogh’s Starry Night. A stellar piece of art if ever we saw one. If you can’t get a clear photo over the constellation of heads in front of it, be sure to pick up a postcard or print (or mug or keychain or tote) in the gift store instead.
- Oskar Schlemmer’s Bauhaus Stairway. Painted in 1932 in defiance of Nazi persecution of artists and students of the Bauhaus school, this thought-provoking piece hangs in MoMA’s own Bauhaus Staircase between the first and second floors.
- Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans. Soup fan? You’re in luck. Warhol’s iconic commentary on consumer culture and mass production – all 32 individual flavors of it – hangs on Floor 4. Simply soup-er.
- Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory. Despite multiple parodies down the years, the power of Dalí’s masterpiece of melting clocks in a surreal landscape – in his own words “a camembert of time” – has never waned. It’s why the painting has been on display here at MoMA ever since being acquired way back in 1934.
Ok I’m in, how do I find it?
You’ll find MoMA right on West 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and just a couple blocks south of Central Park.
Bus: take the Downtown route to Stop 18 or the Uptown route to Stop 27, 29 or 30.
Subway: hop on the E or M train to Fifth Avenue/53rd Street station.
How do I get in with my New York Pass?
Getting in is as easy as falling off a log. There’s no need to book in advance; simply sashay on in, hand over any bags for a quick search (you could be an international art thief for all we know), and scan your pass at one of the self-service terminals. You’ll be issued with a ticket to show at the gallery entrance. Note that you may have to queue here at busier times. Our tip? Avoid the morning rush and pop by in the (generally much quieter) afternoons. Oh go on then, here’s another one: connect to the free WiFi to access MoMA’s digital map and audio guides; it’s quite easy to get lost in the maze of galleries (ok we admit it, we did), so this is a no-brainer if you wish to avoid the same ignominious fate as us. You can, of course, also ask friendly staff and volunteers to point you in the right direction – it is a pretty HUUUGE place after all.
Your New York Pass isn’t just good for accessing MoMA, y'know. Those savings will start to seriously stack up as you tick off more and more NYC bucket-listers. Art fiends can continue their odysseys at MoMA PS1 up in Queens, or at the mighty Met, or exploring the Whitney’s collection of homegrown American greats. Then there’s those other iconic NYC works of art: the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and, well, we could go on (and we often do). But you can also just browse the New York Pass and its many attractions here.
Ok, tell me a little more about what there is to see at MoMA…
Sure. There are six main levels to explore, with most of the blockbuster action taking place on Floors 4 and 5. This is where you’ll find the big kahunas of 19th- and 20th-century art: Your Pollocks and Picassos; your Rothkos and Kahlos. For that reason, these levels are always way busier than the others. Let’s break it down a little…
Floor 5: 1880s–1940s
If you’re looking to ogle as many instantly recognizable modern masterpieces as possible, point your easel straight towards Floor 5. There’s an entire room dedicated to Matisse’s colorful world here, as well as a deep dive into Cubism (hello Picasso and Georges Braque), a fine collection of Brâncuși abstracts and some superlative Cézannes.
Big-ticket highlights here include Monet’s Water Lilies, Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, and Frida Kahlo’s Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair.
Floor 4: 1950s–1970s
This one’s all about the post-war upstarts. There’s a Rothko room filled with the maestro’s signature vast canvases and dense fields of color. There are dazzling sculptures and room-filling murals by the likes of Joel Shapiro and James Rosenquist. It’s also where you can get your Warhol, Pollock, Rauschenberg and Yoko Ono fix, as well as some of the most color-popping Insta shots in the building.
Highlights of the post-war collection include Joel Shapiro’s playful swansong ARK, Faith Ringgold’s Guernica-referencing American People Series #20: Die, Germaine Richier’s Devil with Claws sculpture and, of course, Warhol's iconic Campbell’s Soup Cans.
Floor 2: 1980s–Present
Enter the world of contemporary international art with some of the gallery’s most weird and wonderful exhibits. We’re talking Mike Kelley’s Deodorized Central Mass with Satellites, a room-filling galaxy of masses sculpted from thrift-store plush toys. Or Michael Smith’s Government Approved Home Fallout Shelter Snack Bar, an absurd installation featuring rations, vinyl records, a video and an unwinnable arcade game. There’s also a fine collection showcasing the work of contemporary Black artists.
Step outside for access to the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden. Also accessible via Floor 1, this peaceful green space – beloved of native New Yorkers – has plenty of seating, plus sculptures by Picasso, Rodin, Matisse, Maillol, Isa Genzken and more.
Anything else?
If you’ve been paying attention, you’re probably wondering what’s on Floors 1,3 and 6, right? And the answer is: plenty. But, whereas Floors 2, 4 and 5 comprise dense networks of galleries, the other areas are more open-plan. There’s still loads to look at, of course. Don’t miss the Bauhaus Staircase that links Floors 1–3, for example, or the rotating special exhibitions that fill the top level’s vast gallery space. These floors are also where you’ll find most of the dining, drinking and shopping options. Speaking of which…
What other facilities are there?
- The Modern. Overlooking the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden from Floor 1, this fine-dining restaurant serves up dishes that, quite frankly, belong in a gallery. Gorge on the signature Impressions or Abstractions menus for the full ‘food as modern art’ experience.
- Terrace Café. Seeking a more family-friendly vibe? This Floor 6 fave has you covered. An art-filled space with terrace views of Midtown Manhattan, it serves up sharing plates, salads, sandwiches and more.
- Café 2. Also kid-friendly, this casual Floor 2 pitstop delivers pizzas and pastas around large communal tables.
- Terrace 5. Bar snacks and cocktails with inspiring aerial views of the sculpture garden.
- MoMA Museum Store. If you’re seeking souvenirs of your New York trip that are a cut above the usual ‘I heart NYC’ tat, this is for you. Fill your boots (and carry-on luggage) with cool art prints, posters, postcards and other exhibition-related merch.
- MoMA Design Store. Right across the street from MoMA, the Design Store carries all manner of stylish homeware, arty knick-knacks and artist-designed goodies. If you’ve always wanted a Matisse motif stoneware dinner service or a crocheted Frida Kahlo key ring, you’ve come to the right place.
Where are the top photo ops?
Good news: you can take photos and videos in most galleries, as long as they’re for personal use and don’t use a flash.
You’ll want to fill your boots capturing the big-hitters, of course: your Van Goghs, Monets, Picassos and Warhols. But, let’s be honest, it ain’t easy to do justice to classics of this caliber with your camera phone? Our advice? Get your Insta gold on Floors 2 and 4, where colorful post-war painting and sculpture respond well to close-up detail shots – Rothko’s huge canvases, Mike Kelley’s wild plushie sculptures and Joel Shapiro’s ARK for the win.
You can grab some eye-catching geometric shapes and angles in the Bauhaus Staircase and sunny days in the sculpture garden promise fine opportunities to capture scale and shadow in works by Picasso and Rodin, as well as Isa Genzken’s towering Rose II reflected in MoMA’s gleaming glass facade.
Ok I’m all done here, anything else to do in the area?
What, you mean in Midtown Manhattan? Nah, nothing. Nada. Zip.
We jest of course. You’re pretty much right in the heart of the action here if, that is, your idea of action includes strolls through the southern reaches of Central Park, zipping to the top of some of NYC’s landmark buildings – observation platforms at the Empire State Building and 30 Rock are within a 30-minute walk – and nabbing selfies with stony-faced celebs at Madame Tussauds. And that’s just for starters. These essential NYC experiences, plus many more top-tier tours, activities and attractions are included with your New York Pass. Need we say more?
Enjoyed this little slice of New York?
Then indulge us as we wax lyrical about all the best bits of Madame Tussauds, packed with visitor hacks and money-saving tips, and take your trip up a level (or 100) with our complete guide to One World Observatory.
With The New York Pass®, you can skip the stress and save big on MoMA tickets plus dozens of other must-see attractions, all with one easy-to-use pass.
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