If you love contemporary art, you will love the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The Modern is one of three art museums in Fort Worth’s Cultural District. Picking up where the Kimbell’s art collection ends, the Modern features art work from 1940’s to the present.
The Galleries
Art at The Modern Art Museum
The Modern’s permanent collection includes works from Andy Warhol, Dan Flavin, Anselm Kiefer, David Bates and Jackson Pollock. The Modern offers guided tours, which helps experience the art in new ways, which I highly recommend.
For those who prefer traditional art, the collection may be challenging. Let me give you a few tips to enjoying the museum. In general, do not focus on what you do not like, but find something you do. Find the beauty around you. For example, when you encounter the art installation, Kind of Blue by Jenny Holzer look at the many different ways the art is interesting. She designed this piece specifically for this space in the museum. If the art does not make sense, watch the blue lights dance on the dark gray concrete surfaces of the room and play across the reflecting pool outside. It is breathtaking! To enhance the dramatic effect, view the piece at night.
Kind of Blue by Jenny Holzer
The Modern also hosts special exhibitions. My favorite exhibitions showcased paintings from David Bates, from early in his career to current. The arrangement of 45 paintings, with varying subjects and mediums, provides a real sense of the artist. For information on the current special exhibits, check The Modern’s website.
Access to the special exhibitions are included in the general admission ticket for $10. To save some money, tickets on Wednesdays are half price. Going one step further, enjoy The Modern any Sunday in 2015 for free!
Main Stairway with Filtered Natural Light
Architecture at The Modern Art Museum
Another way to enjoy The Modern is to take a moment to examine the building. Upon entering The Modern, you immediately realize the structure is a piece of art. Japanese architect Tadao Ando uses the concrete beautifully, creating space and order for a pleasant viewing experience. And the concrete is soooo smooth! Reach out and touch it! Ando designed the galleries with a natural flow, leading from one piece of work to the next with frequent connections to the world outside. Don’t forget to go outside and view the grounds, including the intertwined stainless steel tree sculpture Conjoined by Roxy Paine!
Meals at The Modern Art Museum
More than just art, enjoy a meal and a show at The Modern! Café Modern serves delicious dishes for lunch, brunch and dinner with striking views of the Modern Art Museum in the reflection pool. Magnolia at the Modern, the museum’s theater, delivers an intimate location for viewing independent films. A visit to the Modern Art Museum can easily turn into an all-day affair between the art, the Café and the theater.
If you are looking for some artistic and thoughtful gifts, peruse the Modern Shop. They sell great gifts for children and adults alike.
Please note, the Modern Art Museum is closed on Mondays and some holidays.
Back Stairway
Yesterday I revisited the Modern’s collection. Thanks to our docent Ann, I was once again impressed by the collection, and the questions you must ask when you approach modern/contemporary art. Ann pointed us to the below article from the Getty Museum.
Quoting from the article’s last paragraph:
“Questions such as “What is art?” and “What is the function of art?” are relatively new. Creating art that defies viewers’ expectations and artistic conventions is a distinctly modern concept…Instead of asking, “Do I like how this looks?” viewers might ask, “Do I like the idea this artist presents?”
http://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/curricula/contemporary_art/background1.html
Hi David….Enjoyed taking you on the tour! Great article. Actually you can touch the concrete walls…. There are great exhibits planned on Museum Row. Come back!
Ann,
Thank you again for the tour, and for checking out our review of the Modern! We greatly appreciate your feedback! I updated the article with the new information on the concrete. I am glad I don’t have to feel bad now for all the times I have touched it. We will definitely be back for the special exhibits!