Search

What to See at the MoMA This Fall

MoMA is the permanent home of some of the greatest pieces of artwork in the world, from Van Gogh’s Starry Night to Monet’s Water Lilies. But there are plenty of other stunning works whose stays at the museum are much more brief. Here are our top picks of what to see at New York’s Museum of Modern Art this fall.

jaguar e type moma from the collection

Sir William Lyons, Malcolm Sayer, William M. Heynes. E-Type Roadster. 1961. Jaguar Ltd., Coventry, England Steel body. 48 x 66 x 176″ (121.9 x 167.6 x 447 cm). Gift of Jaguar Cars

MoMA shows off its back catalogue with From the Collection: 1960-1969 (through March 2017), which highlights ‘60s art in all genres and mediums. You’ll get a fascinating look at an evolving art world, as the exhibition is arranged in chronological order. And speaking of chronology, Back in Time with Time-Based Works: Artists’ Books at Franklin Furnace, 1976-1980, which runs through January 8, focuses on the first four years of Franklin Furnace, an organization that sought to archive, present, and preserve avant garde work that was otherwise vulnerable to being neglected or forgotten.

For a different look at the latter half of the 20th century, continuing through October 2 is the major exhibition Bruce Conner: It’s All True, which highlights the work of a postwar American artist who was at the forefront of found-object assemblage and avant garde filmmaking. Bringing together over 250 objects that span everything from film and video to painting and photography, the exhibition is the first major retrospective of Bruce Conner’s 50-year career. In conjunction with the exhibition, MoMA will also offer a film series of Conner’s work from September 16-30.

how should we live moma

Charlotte Perriand. Dormitory furnishings from the Maison du Brésil, Paris. 1959. Wood, tubular steel, plastic, formica, fabric, and aluminum, dimensions variable. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder 

This fall will also bring the opening of three new exhibitions celebrating art and design. On view from September 18–January 22 will be Kai Althoff: and then leave me to the common swifts, a retrospective of over 200 works in all mediums by the unique contemporary German artist, which will be presented in an immersive environment Althoff has designed. Over in the museum’s Architecture and Design galleries, the new exhibition How Should We Live? Propositions for the Modern Interior (opening October 1) will focus on specific interior designs from the 1920’s-1950’s and examine the collaborations, materials, and processes that shaped modernist interior design. The Shape of Things: Photographs from Robert B. Menschel (opening October 29), meanwhile, will draw from MoMA’s vast photography collections to tell the story of photography’s 150 year history, putting equal attention on photography in both past and present.

nan goldin moma

Nan Goldin (American, born 1953). Nan and Brian in Bed, New York City. 1983. Silver dye bleach print, printed 2006, 15 1/2 x 23 3/16″ (39.4 x 58.9 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Acquired through the generosity of Jon L. Stryker. © 2016 Nan Goldin 

Also on display at MoMA this fall will be a variety of installations and multi-media works. Opening September 23, Projects 104: Nástio Mosquito will explore the act and effects of appropriation through the work Respectable Thief, which consists of a single live performance, a video installation, and interventions on MoMA’s existing digital displays, including lobby display screens and social media. Through February 12, visitors can view Nan Goldin’s The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, a personal narrative constructed using nearly 700 photographs sequenced against a musical soundtrack. For a more immersive experience, visitors can check out Tony Oursler’s Imponderable (through January 8), an immersive feature-length film presented in a “5-D” cinematic environment, or Teiji Furuhashi: Lovers, a room-sized multi-media installation that is presented for the first time since the work’s inaugural presentation at MoMA in 1995.

Also continuing this fall is Bouchra Khalili’s The Mapping Journey Project, a video exhibition that tells the stories of eight individuals who were forced out of their home countries due to political or economic circumstances and traveled illegally throughout the Mediterranean region. The exhibition is part of MoMA’s Citizens and Borders series, a collection of individual projects that offer a critical perspective on histories of migration, territory, and displacement. Though The Mapping Journey Project will come to an end on October 10, the Citizens and Borders series will continue from October 1–January 22 with Insecurities: Tracing Displacement and Shelter, an exhibition that explores how contemporary architecture and design have responded to the global refugee crisis.

breaking bard moma romeo juliet

Romeo + Juliet. 1996. USA. Directed by Baz Luhrman. Courtesy 20th Century Fox/Photofest

In addition to the main museum, MoMA also has an incredible film program with a number of series and festivals taking place this fall. Classic Hollywood film buffs can enjoy the films of Humphrey Bogart at Modern Matinees: B is for Bogart (through October 28), while lovers of the Bard can enjoy Shakespearean classics on the big screen at Breaking Bard: Shakespeare on Film (October 12-24). Animation fans, meanwhile, can catch a truly rare screening of Richard Williams’s The Thief and the Cobbler, a beautiful hand-drawn animated film that was only released in an altered form as Arabian Knight after a troubled 30-year production history. MoMA will present the New York premiere of Williams’s original vision for the film, along with a discussion between Williams and animation historian John Canemaker on September 24. Those who’d rather see work by international filmmakers also have plenty of chances, with film series this fall dedicated to Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden (September 28–October 4), Georgian-born New Wave filmmaker Marlen Khutsiev (October 5-16), and Japanese filmmaker Tomu Uchida (October 21–November 7).

For more about MoMA and its exhibitions, please visit MoMA.org.

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.

Bringing a group to NYC? Free planning services

Let us know what you are looking for and we will try to connect you directly and get discounts.

Enter the code: 3972

More Articles