Exhibition brings 200 masterworks from MoMA to Melbourne

The Museum of Modern Art and the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) presented MoMA at NGV: 130 Years of Modern and Contemporary Art, a major exhibition of modern and contemporary masterworks from MoMA's iconic collection, on view at NGV International in Melbourne, Australia, from June 9 through Oct 7.

The exhibition features more than 200 works, many of which have never been seen in Australia. It includes a line-up of seminal 19th- and 20th-century artists, including Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol. Bringing the exhibition up to the present are works by many significant 21st-century artists, including Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman and Olafur Eliasson.

MoMA at NGV is the largest installment of the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition series to date, for the first time encompassing the entire ground floor of NGV International. Showcasing MoMA's multidisciplinary approach to collecting and the breadth of its collection, the exhibition features works drawn from the Museum's six curatorial departments: Architecture and Design, Drawings and Prints, Film, Media and Performance Art, Painting and Sculpture and Photography.

It explores the emergence and development of major art movements, representing more than 130 years of radical artistic innovation. The exhibition also reflects the wider technological, social developments that transformed society during this period, from late-19th-century urban and industrial transformation to the digital and global present.

In recognition of both MoMA and NGV's long-standing dedication to the study and presentation of architecture and design, the exhibition explores the deep-seated connections between 20th-century art and design practice, with a particular focus on developments that shaped Europe in the 1920s and 1930s and the globalized world of the 1960s and 1970s.

"MoMA's mission is to share our story of modern and contemporary art with the widest possible audience, to encourage the understanding and enjoyment of the art of our time," said Glenn Lowry, director of the MoMA. "We are thrilled to have this opportunity to share these important works from nearly every area of our collection with the NGV and the many visitors who will take advantage of this rare opportunity."

Tony Ellwood, director of NGV, said: "This exciting exhibition will showcase an unparalleled collection of modern and contemporary art and design. We are delighted to be working with MoMA to bring such an extraordinary and diverse selection of works to Melbourne. Our visitors will be able to experience firsthand the momentous change and creativity in the development of modern art, and consequently appreciate contemporary art and design with greater understanding."

MoMA at NGV is organized by MOMA in partnership with the NGV by MoMa's team including Samantha Friedman, associate curator of Drawings and Prints; Juliet Kinchin, curator of Modern Design; and Christian Rattemeyer, the Harvey S. Shipley