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Modern and Contemporary Art

About Us

The Met’s Modern and Contemporary Art department studies, collects, and exhibits art from 1890 to the present. The collection encompasses modernist movements and contemporary practices from across the globe. Featuring important holdings of European modernism, American art and modern design, and contemporary art, the department continues to expand its collection through strategic acquisitions, with a focus on artists and works from Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, and African diasporas. With strengths in painting, sculpture, and works on paper, the collection also includes international decorative arts, design, installation art, and time-based media. In addition to its gallery displays, the department engages in mission-driven activities such as special exhibitions, site-specific commissions by contemporary artists, and collaborations within and beyond the museum. It also prioritizes collections care through maintenance, cataloging, research, and the support of fellows and interns.

Our History

The Met has been acquiring the art of its time since its founding in the nineteenth century, even though a dedicated Department of Contemporary Arts was only established in 1967. The department’s early years were shaped by curators like Henry Geldzahler, and later Lowery Stokes Sims, who joined the museum in 1972. The department’s holdings have grown significantly through acquisitions, generous gifts, and bequests. Notable collections include the Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection, featuring nearly 90 Cubist masterpieces; the Alfred Stieglitz Collection; works from the Souls Grown Deep Foundation; a monumental promised gift of major works by Philip Guston; and the Azari collection of contemporary Iranian art.

The department found a permanent home in the Lila Acheson Wallace Wing in 1987 and later also mounted exhibitions at The Met Breuer (2016–2020). Looking ahead, the department’s collections will find a new home in The Tang Wing for Modern and Contemporary Art, slated to open in 2030.


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Carousel State, Sam Gilliam  American, Acrylic and aluminum powder on canvas
Sam Gilliam
1968
Split 4, Amy Sillman  American, Acrylic and oil on linen
Amy Sillman
2020
Untitled, Doris Salcedo  Colombian, Wood, concrete and steel
Doris Salcedo
1997–99
Böhmen liegt am Meer (Bohemia Lies by the Sea), Anselm Kiefer  German, Oil, emulsion, shellac, charcoal, and powdered paint on burlap
Anselm Kiefer
1996
Street Story Quilt, Faith Ringgold  American, Cotton canvas, acrylic paint, ink marker, dyed and printed cotton, and sequins, sewn to a cotton flannel backing
Faith Ringgold
1985
Take Off, Helen Frankenthaler  American, Oil and enamel on canvas
Helen Frankenthaler
1956
Untitled, Nasreen Mohamedi  Indian, Black ink, wash, and graphite on paper
Nasreen Mohamedi
ca. 1970
Highrise of Homes, James Wines  American, Pen and ink and wash over graphite on paper
James Wines
1981
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