The MoMA is a well-known art museum located in New York City, New York. 'MoMA' is short for The Museum of Modern Art and showcases artwork created by artists like Van-Gogh to New York-based pop artists.
I got the awesome opportunity to visit New York this past month and visiting the MoMA was at the top of my to-do list! Here are 5 pieces of art displayed at the MoMa this fall.
1. Andy Warhol - "Campbell's Soup Cans"
First displayed in 1962, Warhol made this creation by synthetic polymer paint on each of the 32 soup cans on display. Each can is painted similarly with the labels of soups being what makes each canvas different. Andy Warhol (August 1928- February 1987) states his inspiration behind his work of art, “I used to drink it. I used to have the same lunch every day, for 20 years, I guess, the same thing over and over again.”
2. Roy Lichtenstein - "Drowning Girl"
This is one of my favorite pieces at The MoMA. I love it because of the overall message it displays. The artwork showcases a comic image said to be from DC Comics' Secret Love #83, "Run For Love".It is a comic of a woman that is surrounded by waves and realizes that she is independent enough to where she no longer needs her boyfriend "Brad" to save her. The original comic was published in 1962 and a year after is when Lichtenstein, New York-based pop artist, published his own spin of the comic- but in artwork form. Drowning Girl is made with oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas. This piece of pop-art is done by an art process called "Ben-Day dots". After sketching the exact picture from the comic onto canvas, Lichtenstein added Ben-Day dots to portray this woman was in a comic book. Drowning Girl is on permanent display at The Museum of Modern Art and has been depict as a "masterpiece of melodrama".
3. Vincent van Gogh - "Starry Night"
Out of the 2,000 works of art Van Gogh has created, this is one of his most loved paintings. Anytime you go to the MoMA, you won't have a hard time finding this masterpiece; just look for the crowd! The inspiration behind this detailed oil painting is from a mesmerizing view Van Gogh saw regularly for a year. Van Gogh admitted himself to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole lunatic asylum in 1889 and stayed for a year. Van Gogh had continuous seizures and his psychological health was declining, so he and his brother thought it was best he be admitted. While in the asylum, Van Gogh wrote a letter to his brother, Theo, stating "This morning I saw the country from my window a long time before sunrise, with nothing but the morning star, which looked very big," and is said to be the inspiration behind this piece. "Starry Night" was just one of the 150 works of art he painted in his time at the asylum.
4. Claes Oldenburg - "Floor Cone"
When I first saw this soft-sculpture, I questioned if I could sit on this beanbag that looked like an ice cream cone. After further research I suddenly did not want to sit on it anymore! This piece is made of polymer painted canvas stuffed with cardboard boxes and foam rubber. Oldenburg is known for his fun sculptures, which are usually everyday objects magnified in proportion. In the 1960’s, Oldenburg rented a gallery in New York to display most of his sculptures in and people knew it as “The Street”. He then got enough peoples attention and rented another gallery and named it “The Store,” filling it with sculptures that looked like everyday objects, such as the floor cone, floor burger, and floor cake. Oldenburg's art history is a major reason why his art is displayed at The MoMA. It also helps that Oldenburg’s brother, Richard Oldenburg, was the director of The Museum of Modern Art from 1972 to 1995!5. Isa Genzken - "Rose II"
Located outside of the MoMA is the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden. I definitely recommend going to this part of the museum to see all of the beautiful sculptures they have outside. Rose II is the tallest sculpture in the sculpture garden at a height of twenty-eight feet! You will be looking up in awe of this rose made of stainless steel, aluminum and lacquer. Genzken, originally from Germany, states that she is honored to have her sculpture displayed in New York City as her love for the city started when she visited as a student.
If you are ever in New York, stop by The Museum of Modern Art and check out these amazing works of art for yourself!