The
rich and varied collection of The Museum of Modern Art constitutes one of the
most comprehensive and panoramic views into modern art in the world. From an
initial gift of eight prints and one drawing, The Museum of Modern Art's
collection has grown to include over 100,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings,
prints, photographs, architectural models and drawings, and design objects.
MoMA
also owns some 19,000 films and four million film stills, and MoMA's
Library
and Archives, the premier research facilities of their kind in the world, hold
over 160,000 books, artist books, and periodicals, extensive individual files on
more than 70,000 artists, and archival materials related to modern and
contemporary art.
Now more than ever consumers appreciate
that everything we live with-from tape dispensers to dish racks-can, and should
be, well designed. The Museum of Modern Art has played a significant role in
creating this awareness, through the establishment of its celebrated design
collection in 1934 and its ongoing series of design exhibitions. The MoMA Photo
Collection shares this view, and we are pleased
to
offer all of their designs that that span nearly a century. Some of the earliest
items are enjoying huge renewed interest-proof of the enduring quality of good
design-and some of the latest, perhaps with the help of the Internet, are
finding appreciative audiences around the world within months of their
introduction. While technology has provided new materials and methods of
production, the concept remains the same-thoughtfully designed products improve
our everyday lives.