12 must-see masterpieces at MoMA New York
Quick answer
MoMA's must-see works are Van Gogh's The Starry Night, Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, Dalí's The Persistence of Memory, Monet's Water Lilies, Rousseau's The Sleeping Gypsy, Pollock's One: Number 31, Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans and Kahlo's self-portrait. Most hang on the fourth and fifth floors.
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The 12 key works, floor by floor
- 1
Floor 5
The Starry Night — Vincent van Gogh (1889)
The swirling Saint-Rémy sky, probably the museum's best-known work.
- 2
Floor 5
Les Demoiselles d'Avignon — Pablo Picasso (1907)
The painting that opened the door to Cubism and broke with traditional perspective.
- 3
Floor 5
The Persistence of Memory — Salvador Dalí (1931)
Soft watches in a dreamlike landscape, an icon of Surrealism.
- 4
Floor 5
Water Lilies — Claude Monet
The large paintings of the Giverny pond, with light as the star.
- 5
Floor 5
The Sleeping Gypsy — Henri Rousseau (1897)
A lion sniffs a sleeping woman under the moon: a naive, mysterious dream.
- 6
Floor 5
Dance (I) — Henri Matisse (1909)
Nude figures dancing in a circle, with flat colours and energy.
- 7
Floor 5
Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair — Frida Kahlo (1940)
Kahlo in a man's suit with cropped hair after her separation from Diego Rivera.
- 8
Floor 4
One: Number 31, 1950 — Jackson Pollock
One of the great large-scale drip paintings of Abstract Expressionism.
- 9
Floor 4
Colour fields — Mark Rothko
Large rectangles of colour intended to provoke a deep emotional response.
- 10
Floor 4
Campbell's Soup Cans — Andy Warhol (1962)
32 canvases of soup cans, a symbol of Pop Art and mass culture.
- 11
Floor 4
Broadway Boogie Woogie — Piet Mondrian (1942–1943)
Mondrian's grid turned into urban rhythm, inspired by New York and jazz.
- 12
Ground floor · Garden
Sculpture Garden
Works by Picasso, Rodin and others in an open garden in the heart of Midtown.
How to see them all in one visit
Start on floor 5 at opening, go down to floor 4 and finish in the Sculpture Garden. Collections rotate: some works travel or are removed, so check the floor plan at the entrance. You can follow the exact order on our 2-hour route.
Frequently asked questions
Where is The Starry Night?
On floor 5 of MoMA, in the late 19th-century masterpiece galleries.
Where are Warhol's soup cans?
In the Pop Art collection on floor 4, per the usual layout. Confirm on the day's floor plan.
Does MoMA have the Mona Lisa?
No. The Mona Lisa is in the Louvre. MoMA focuses on modern and contemporary art.
Does MoMA have Guernica?
No. Picasso's Guernica is in the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid.