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What to See at the MoMA This Winter

The Museum of Modern Art is one of the most popular museums in NYC, drawing visitors from all over the world with such works as Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” In addition to these masterpieces, MoMA also features an ever-changing display of incredible exhibitions showcasing modern artists both past and present. With subjects that include music, sculpture, and the top films of the year, MoMA’s exhibitions for winter 2015-2016 offer something for all visitors to enjoy.

moma picasso 2015

Pablo Picasso, Bull, Cannes, c. 1958. The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

As expected from such a renowned institution, MoMA’s current exhibitions include work by two superstars of the visual arts: Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock. Continuing through February 7 is MoMA’s centerpiece exhibition Picasso Sculpture, a survey of the artist’s lifelong work in three dimensions. Featuring over 100 works, the show is the first exhibition to feature Picasso’s sculptures since the museum’s previous Picasso sculpture exhibition all the way back in 1967. Running through March 13 is the exhibition Jackson Pollock: A Collection Survey, 1934-1954, showcasing the work of the famed abstract painter. The exhibition showcases art from throughout Pollock’s career, including both his most famous masterpieces and rarely seen drawings, engravings, and lithographs.

Of course, MoMA’s exhibitions go far beyond the art world’s biggest heavyweights, showcasing artists of all disciplines both past and present. From now through January 31, MoMA is hosting the first comprehensive survey of Walid Raad, a contemporary Lebanese artist whose work uses photographs and video and focuses on Lebanon and the Middle East. Another artist on display is Joaquín Torres-García, an influential Uruguayan artist active in the European avant-garde movements in the early 20th century. This major retrospective of Torres-García’s work is on display at MoMA through February 15.

The museum also explores how visual art intersects with other artistic disciplines. On display through January 17 is the exhibition Making Music Modern: Design for Ear and Eye, which explores the intersection of design and music in the 20th century, featuring record covers, posters, designs of instruments, and more to demonstrate the impact of design on the music world. Endless House: The Intersection of Art and Architecture, meanwhile, explores design’s impact on housing, highlighting both how artists use houses to explore larger themes and how architects creating new residences use design in innovative ways. The exhibition continues through March 6.

Though MoMA celebrates design and artists of the past, it also has an eye toward our current digital age. In Ocean of Images: New Photography 2015 (through March 20), MoMA has expanded their longstanding New Photography series into a novel format that focuses on our current image-based digital culture. The exhibition presents photography as an experimental field, focusing not only on the images themselves, but also how they’re created and distributed. Another exhibition, This is For Everyone: Design Experiments for the Common Good, examines the infinite possibilities of the Internet and information age. The exhibition, which runs through January 31, ponders whether design in the digital age is truly “for everyone.” 

what to see MoMA winter 2015-16

Installation view of This Is for Everyone: Design Experiments for the Common Good at The Museum of Modern Art, New York (February 14, 2015-January 1, 2016). Photo by John Wronn. © 2015 The Museum of Modern Art

Though its central focus is on its main exhibition spaces, MoMA is also home to three movie theaters housing screenings and film series that are well worth incorporating into your next visit. Running from now through January 15 is MoMA’s annual series The Contenders, which showcases the films from the past year that are strong enough to stand the test of time. The film series combines both major studio releases, such as Inside Out and Spy, with film festival standouts, resulting in a varied lineup in which any cinema fan will find something to enjoy. Other film screenings taking place this winter include a retrospective of films by Italian filmmaker Antonio Pietrangeli (December 3-18); a tribute to the contemporary Italian film studio Rai Cinema (December 4-18); and the annual festival Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You (December 11-14), which features contemporary films that have yet to be picked up for theatrical distribution.

About the Author

Alison Durkee is a New York-based arts journalist and critic with a background in theatre and dance. She currently serves as the Features Editor of London theatre website Everything Theatre and also covers news and politics for Mic.com.

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