Installation view of the exhibition Bauhaus: 1919-1928, on view December 7, 1938 through January 30, 1939 at The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York. Image © Soichi Sunami
The Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA) has released an online archive of over 3,500 of the museum’s past exhibitions from its founding in 1929 to today. Free and available to the public, the database contains photographs, press releases, checklists, catalogues and lists of featured artists.
The archive contains 660 entries tagged under “architecture” and includes some of architectural history’s greatest exhibitions: the Modern Architecture International Exhibition by Philip Johnson and Henry-Russell Hitchcock in 1932; Herbert Bayer’s exhibition Bauhaus 1919-1928 in 1938; Thresholds/O.M.A. at MoMA: Rem Koolhaas and the Place of Public Architecture in 1994; and, most recently, A Japanese Constellation: Toyo Ito, SANAA, and Beyond, which wrapped up its run this past July.
via moma.org/history
The release is the product of a massive undertaking by museum staff to digitize past archives. Many of the pages contain links to related publications or preserved websites dedicated to individual exhibitions. A easy-to-use menu bar allows users to search directly for keywords or refine their search based on exhibition type and year.
Mies van der Rohe and Phillip Johnson at the exhibition Mies van der Rohe, on view September 16, 1947 through January 25, 1948 at The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York. Image © William Leftwich
The database will be continuously updated as new exhibitions are held, meaning architecture lovers will have the opportunity to check out next year’s Frank Lloyd Wright retrospective, even if they are unable to make a trip to MoMA in person.
Check out the online archive for yourself, here.
Installation view of the exhibition Machine Art, on view March 5, 1934 through April 29, 1934 at The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Image Courtesy of Museum of Modern Art
Sig Nordal 