Most Famous Paintings at the MoMA New York
Have you been to the MoMA in New York?! The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) was founded in 1929 and is one of the most influential museums of modern art in the world.
At the MoMA, you will find a selection of extraordinary paintings by Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Gustav Klimt, Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol, and other leading contemporary artists.
Although the museum has a collection of nearly 200,000 pieces, today I’m sharing a list of famous artworks that you cannot miss during your visit to the MoMA!
Save this post for your next visit, or share it with your art-loving friends! I captured the majority of these images on the fourth and fifth floors of the museum – where you will find the MoMA’s most popular paintings.
Here are convenient skip-the-line tickets to the MoMA:
Starry Night, Vincent van Gogh (1889)
Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh painted Starry Night during his stay at the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, in France.
This painting depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room, an imaginary village, and the memories and emotions this view evoked in him.
The Water Lilies, Claude Monet (1914)
This is perhaps my favorite painting at the MoMA.
Water Lilies is a series of 250 oil paintings by French Impressionist Claude Monet.
The paintings depict his flower garden at his home in Giverny, France, and symbolize the artist’s retreat into nature during the last 12 years of his life.
Hope II, Gustav Klimt (1907)
I first fell in love with Gustav Klimt’s paintings when I saw The Kiss at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, Austria. The Belvedere has one of the largest collections of paintings by Gustav Klimt in the world.
At the MoMA you can see Hope II, a painting that depicts a pregnant woman with closed eyes. At the foot of the painting, you will find three women bowing their heads, as if praying or perhaps mourning. There’s also a human skull, representing death, that appears from behind her stomach.
Street, Dresden, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1908)
Street, Dresden, is said to be a bold expression of the intensity, dissonance, and anxiety of the modern city.
Girl In Front of Mirror, Pablo Picasso (1932)
This colorful painting is a portrait of Pablo Picasso’s mistress and muse, Marie-Thérèse Walter, who is depicted standing in front of a mirror looking at her reflection.
Pablo Picasso was a Spanish painter, sculptor, ceramicist, and theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France.
The Persistence of Memory, Salvador Dalí (1931)
Here is one of the most recognizable works of Surrealism by artist Salvador Dalí.
The MoMA received this painting from an anonymous donor.
Campbell’s Soup Can, Andy Warhol (1962)
You’re probably familiar with these canvases produced by American artist Andy Warhol.
They consist of 32 canvases, each consisting of a painting of a Campbell’s Soup can, one of each of the canned soup varieties the company offered during the 1960s.
The She-Wolf, Jackson Pollock (1943)
Jason Pollock, the American painter who was a leading figure in the abstract expressionism movement, is the artist behind The She-Wolf.
The wolf in this painting may refer to the animal that suckled the twin founders of Rome, Romulus, and Remus, in the myth of the city’s birth.
Self Portrait with Cropped Hair, Frida Kahlo (1940)
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter known for her self-portraits and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico.
This painting is Frida Kahlo’s first self-portrait after her divorce from fellow artist Diego Rivera.
The Song of Love, Giorgio de Chirico (1914)
The Song of Love, by Italian metaphysical painter Giorgio de Chirico, is one of the most famous works by Chirico and an early example of the surrealist style.
Las Señoritas de Avignon, Pablo Picasso (1907)
Here is another recognizable art work by the Spanish painter Picasso.
It was initially deemed immoral because the women portrayed are said to be in a brothel in Barcelona, Spain.
The five women portrayed in this painting have angular and disjointed body shapes. The far left figure exhibits facial features and dress of Egyptian or southern Asian style.
The following three paintings are quite impactful.
In the middle, you can see Tree of Paradise by Séraphine Louis, and you can find this piece on the 5th floor of the museum.
Street Light, Giacomo Balla (1910)
Street Light is a painting by Italian Futurist painter Giacomo Balla, depicting an electric street lamp casting a glow that outshines the moon.
The painting was inspired by streetlights at the Piazza Termini in Rome, Italy.
Plan Your Visit to the MoMA
The main artworks are located on floors 4 and 5, so my recommendation is to start your visit there and make your way down.
When I visited the museum I waited forty minutes in line at the ticket counter.
Reserve skip-the-line tickets recommended for the MoMA:
How much does it cost to visit the MoMA museum?
Tickets to visit the MoMA in New York cost $25 for adults, and $18 for seniors 65 and over with ID. Full-time students with ID, including international students, pay $14. Children 16 and under can visit the museum for free. Tickets include admission to all galleries and special exhibitions.
Upcoming MoMA Exhibitions
- Picasso in Fontainebleau, October 8, 2023, through February 17, 2024
- Kathe Kollwitz, March 31, 2024, through July 20, 2024
MoMA Store NYC
Shop MoMA’s store on their website, and shop MoMA at Nordstrom (shipping is free, and returns are accepted at any location). See beautiful art pieces below!
SHOP MOMA:
See all MoMA art available at Nordstrom here.
BEST HOTELS TO STAY IN NEW YORK
New York City is full of excellent hotels. Click on any hotel below to view the rooms, and check the rates:
- Lotte New York Palace
- The Pierre, A Taj Hotel New York
- 33 Seaport Hotel
- The Wallace Hotel
- The Plaza Hotel
- Conrad New York Downtown
- Crosby Street Hotel
- The Langham New York 5th Avenue
- Equinox Hotel Hudson Yards
- The Whitby Hotel
- The Greenwich Hotel
MORE TRAVEL GUIDES OF NEW YORK
- What To See at The Metropolitan Opera NYC (2023)
- 17 Free Things to Do in NYC
- Top Art Pieces to See at The MET Museum
MORE THINGS TO DO IN NEW YORK CITY
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