The best current and upcoming MoMA exhibits
Founded in 1929, Museum of Modern Art has always been more than just a museum—it played an essential role as the incubator for 20th century art. Cubism, Futurism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Minimalism and Conceptualism were shepherded into the mainstream thanks to MoMA. As a result, the museum amassed a collection of Modern painting, sculpture architecture and more that is second to none. None of which mean that MoMA has been resting on its laurels: Together with its MoMA PS1 satellite in Long Island City, Queens, the Modern has been as intensely focused on art of this century as it was on the work of the last. That much is made clear by our list of the best current and upcoming exhibits at MoMA.
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MoMA exhibits currently on view
Bodys Isek Kingelez
This is the first retrospective of the Congolese sculptor who created fantastical, futuristic architectural models and cityscapes out of found materials like colored paper, tinfoil, commercial packaging, plastic, soda cans and bottle caps. (Think Canto Bight meets Outsider Art). Kingelez (1948–2015) laid out utopian visions that stood in stark contrast to the unruly urban realities of Kinshasa, the artist’s home town and capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo—a mega-conurbanation with estimated population of more than 11 million, making it the third largest city in Africa. Along with objects, the exhibit features a virtual reality experience that “flies” viewers through one of his imaginary cities.
“Toward a Concrete Utopia: Architecture in Yugoslavia, 1948–1980”
Due mainly to the forceful leadership of President Josef Broz Tito, Yugoslavia carved out a unique position for itself during the Cold War as a non-aligned nation that evaded the orbits of both the United States and the Soviet Union—no mean feat, given the state of postwar Europe. Understandably, Yugoslavian architecture of the period reflected the country’s precarious place between Capitalism and Communism by creating its own, sometimes eccentric, take on mid-century modernism with buildings that ranged from the rationalism of the International style to irrational, almost sci-fi, examples of Brutalism. Using photos, drawings, models and films, this overview delves into a little-known facet of 20th-century architecture.
"Constantin Brancusi Sculpture"
MoMA reaches into its deep store of works by the Modernist master who altered the course of 20th-century sculptue by upending the relationship between sculptural object and base. Many of the artist's greatest hits—Bird in Space, Endless Column, Mlle Pogany—are included.
“Judson Dance Theater: The Work Is Never Done”
This show looks back at a NYC avant-garde institution: The dance company that formed around the performance space at Judson Memorial Church located on Washington Square. Formed in 1962, Judson became associated with some of the biggest names in New York's midcentury arts scene, including Robert Rauschenberg, Yvonne Rainer and Merce Cunningham. MoMA surveys Judson's unique role during that era with photos, films and a schedule of live performances.
“Charles White: A Retrospective”
Charles White (1918–1979) was a key chronicler of African-American life during a period spanning the 1930s to the 1970s—which, of course, was concurrent with the Civil Rights movement. White was known for a robust, realist style, which spoke to his strengths as a draughtsman, and to his early-career involvement with the WPA. This retrospective, which is arranged chronologically, debuted at the Chicago Art Institute before traveling to MoMA.
“Bruce Nauman: Disappearing Acts”
Both MoMA and its Queens satellite devote space to this unpacking of the work of Bruce Nauman in the biggest retrospective of his career. A Conceptual Art pioneer who led the development of practices such as performance, video and installation art during the 1960s and ’70s, Nauman emphasized process over product, pushing the boundaries of the artist’s role while aggressively interrogating the human condition with pieces that were noted for their piquant psychological insights.
