Visiting the Museum of Modern Art in New York is an experience in mass art tourism. Very likely you will be viewing Vincent van Gogh or Pablo Picasso over the heads of two dozens Asian tourists or American students. The sheer amount of people visiting the museum is mind-boggling. However, while spending a few hours at the museums I got a feeling of the masses moving through the museum. Due to the size of MOMA visitors would only spend 5-15 seconds in front of a piece of art. This time might be longer in case of the most famous artists like Picasso or Monet, but on average, most art pieces only receive a casual glance. And most visitors would systematically walk through a room, giving most art pieces a quick look. In between visitors would rest on a bench or sit in the garden to recover from the sheer number of paintings on display. How visitors moved reminded me a bit of my time as a night guard when I had to systematically walk through rooms, scanning badges with a handheld device in order to get a proof of my lonely work. Visitors at the MOMA had a similar walking pattern. I do not think this is the best way of appreciating art. So here are some easy rules on how to go about it:
- You can't see everything, so you have to be selective.
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Go for artists you like, not only for big names.
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If you like a piece of art, give yourself a minute or two to suck it in.
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Do not spend longer than sixty minutes viewing art. Anything longer and you will not remember. Better to have a coffee in between or sit in the garden. Viewing art is not a marathon nor is it sightseeing. You do not get any brownie points for viewing all the art that is on display.
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And most importantly: follow your heart. Yes, it is okay not to like a famous artist (in my case Cy Twombly is just not making the cut).
Let me know if you find those hints helpful!
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