MoMA New York magic mesmerizes as we visit a fabulous world class museum in Manhattan

Expect the unusual at New York's spectacular Museum of Modern Art.  Here is Salvador Dali's "Retrospective Bust of a Woman," created in 1933.  It features painted porcelain, bread, corn, feathers, paint on paper, beads, ink stand, sand and more. It is one of many treasures at the museum.

Travel writer Cookie inspects an installation through its window at MoMA

"The Dance," by Matisse, features a circle of dancers against sky, a gift of Nelson Rockefeller.

Bruce Keller points the way to imagination in an intriguing piece, "Bingo," by Gordon Matta-Clark

MoMA NEW YORK'S MUSEUM OF MODERN ART HONORS LEGACY TO EMBRACE THE NEW

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

"The Carpe Diem Kids"

Van Gogh's most famous painting, "The Starry Night," is the museum's most viewed work. 

STANDING NEXT to "The Starry Night," one feels the genius of Vincent Van Gogh.  The darkness that overtook him, the talent that sprang from his tortured soul, the beauty of his timeless art. It's all there. That and much more, in an astonishing array of 200,000 works of art from around the globe.

Visiting MoMA New York, you'll see works by Van Gogh, Matisse, Dali and an array of other spectacular artists.  New York's great and grand Museum of Modern Art " is affectionaly known as MoMA.

• There are museums and galleries, and then there's MoMA.

• The museum is a beloved treasure trove of beautifully displayed art through the ages. Its founders insisted that showcasing the new and modern be the focus at MoMA.  And so it is, with modernist masterpieces including works by Picasso and many others considered ahead of their time.  

Picasso's "Lady in Mirror" is among the exquisite bounty at MoMA.

MoMA New York debuted in 1929, during the heights of the Great Depression, opening just days after the infamous Wall Street Crash. 

• It was a gift of deep-pocket visionaries and philanthropists, a trio of progressive and influential patrons of the arts.  Lillie P. Bliss, Mary Quinn Sullivan and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller -- challenged the conservative policies of traditional museums by establishing a gallery devoted to modern art. 

• The three were a "Who's Who" of New York then and wanted a place to showcase new work. The museum is front and center in  midtown Manhattan, filling an expansive block on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. 

• Many patrons have donated their personal art treasures to MoMA.

THE MUSEUM was originally located in the Heckscher Building on Fifth Avenue where it was America's first museum to devote itself exclusively to modern art. 

• At its helm were A. Conger Goodyear as president and Abby Rockefeller as treasurer.  Through its early years, the museum moved to several temporary locations.

• John D. Rockefeller Jr. eventually donated the land for its permanent site. 

• A new sculpture garden by Philip Johnson was designed and the museum moved to its current location on West 53rd Street in 1939.

Modern art sculpture plays a major role in MoMA galleries. La Serpentine by Henri Matisse

Besides Van Gogh's famous "Starry Night," created in 1889, you'll find many other masterpieces including these two most viewed paintings:

•  "The Persistence of Memory" by Salvador Dalí, that intriguing melting clock created in 1931, and Pablo Picasso's

• "Les Demoiselles d’Avignon," which revolutionized contemporary art when it was unveiled in 1907.

• You'll also see Andy Warhol's famous Campbell’s Soup Cans, Andrew Wyeth's evocative "Christina's World," Rene Magritte's "The Lovers" and masterpieces by Chagall, Cezanne and other groundbreaking artists.

New York's Museum of Modern Art remains in a league of its own, with a collection of 200,000 works.

LAST YEAR, MoMA New York welcomed nearly 2.7 million visitors to its galleries for more than 35 exhibitions. The range of changing exhibits included An-My Lê’s photographs exploring conflict and human connection, a reunion of works made by Picasso during the pivotal summer of 1921, and more.

MoMA makes a visit a pleasure with excellent maps and guides, helpful docents to point you where you desire, and a delightful albeit pricy restaurant with among other treats, caviar hotdogs. The museum shop is one of the best in the world. What's not to like at MoMA? 

More information: MoMA is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., except Saturdays, when it is open until 7 p.m.

• Tickets may be reserved in advance through the My CityPASS®  moma.org

MORE STORIES ON TAP: Hold on to your hat and duck your head! We'll explore wonders of our world as Earth Day approaches, and follow the theme of "great art" -- both man made and art created by nature. Come with us to caves, mountain tops, museums, in cities and villages and off the beaten path for wonders and unexpected pleasures.

• We'll explore art that incorporates trash -- salvaged from our beleaguered seas. Join us as we hop about the globe, with a look at two fabulous caves in Barbados and Bermuda, a study of Salvador Dali's three museums in northern Spain, a visit to a favorite city, Barcelona, where we examine the influence of architect Antoni Gaudi

• We'll visit a Montana museum devoted to the work of famed western artist C.M. Russell.

Meanwhile, remember to explore, learn and live, and catch us weekly for a fresh spin on travel, performance, nature, art, family and more: www.whereiscookie.com