The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The museum is often considered a rival to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
MoMA first opened to the public on November 7, 1929. Considered by many to have the best collection of modern masterpieces in the world, it houses such important works as Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Pablo Picasso, a Water Lilies triptych by Claude Monet, Dance by Henri Matisse, The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí, The Bather by Paul Cézanne, Self-Portrait With Cropped Hair by Frida Kahlo, Broadway Boogie Woogie by Piet Mondrian, and works by leading American artists such as Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, Edward Hopper, Andy Warhol, and Chuck Close. MoMA developed a world-renowned art photography collection, first under Edward Steichen and then John Szarkowski. MoMA also has an important design collection.
MoMA's Midtown location underwent extensive renovations in the 2000s, closing on May 21, 2002 and reponening to the public in building redesigned by the Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi on November 20, 2004. From June 29, 2002 until September 27, 2004, a portion of its collection was on display in what was dubbed "MoMA QNS", a former Swingline Staple factory in Long Island City, Queens. MoMA's reopening brought controversy as its admission cost increased from US$12 to US$20, making it one of the most expensive museums in the city; however it retains its "pay what you wish" policy on Fridays after 4 p.m., due to sponsorship from Target Stores.
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