MoMA in 2 hours: the essential floor-by-floor route

The route: 8 stops in 2 hours

MoMA rearranges its collection often: some works rotate, travel or are removed. Timings are approximate and include walking. Check the floor plan at the entrance to locate each work.

1. 1

   0:00 · Floor 5

   The Starry Night (Van Gogh)

   Go straight up to floor 5 as soon as it opens. Van Gogh painted the sky from the window of the Saint-Rémy asylum in 1889. Get close to see the brushstrokes.

2. 2

   0:15 · Floor 5

   Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (Picasso)

   The 1907 painting that opened the door to Cubism: five nudes with faces inspired by Iberian and African masks.

3. 3

   0:30 · Floor 5

   The Persistence of Memory (Dalí)

   Dalí's soft watches (1931) are small and often overlooked because of the crowd around them.

4. 4

   0:40 · Floor 5

   Water Lilies (Monet)

   Panoramic paintings of the Giverny gardens fill an entire room. Sit down for a moment.

5. 5

   0:55 · Floor 5

   Frida Kahlo and the Surrealists

   Kahlo's Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair and other Surrealists, like Magritte, are close by.

6. 6

   1:10 · Floor 4

   Pollock and Rothko

   Head down to floor 4. American Abstract Expressionism in wide galleries: Pollock's drip paintings and Rothko's colour fields.

7. 7

   1:30 · Floor 4

   Pop Art: Warhol and Lichtenstein

   Warhol, Lichtenstein and 1960s mass culture. The Campbell's Soup cans and Marilyn Monroe portraits.

8. 8

   1:45 · Ground floor · Sculpture Garden

   Sculpture Garden

   Finish in the Sculpture Garden, with works by Picasso and Rodin, to catch your breath before leaving.

Tips to make the most of it

• Go straight to floor 5 at opening: it's the busiest at midday.
• On the free Friday evenings for residents, expect more crowds; weekday mornings are best.
• Leave large bags and umbrellas at the coat check.
• Point the AnyArt camera at any artwork not on this list to hear its story without hunting for the label.