What Museum of Modern Art does

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural institution founded in 1929 and headquartered in Midtown Manhattan at 11 West 53rd Street, with a contemporary-art affiliate (MoMA PS1) in Long Island City, Queens. It maintains a collection of nearly 200,000 works of modern and contemporary art spanning from the 1880s to the present across painting, sculpture, photography, film, design, and digital art, with over 106,000 works accessible through the online collection database and representation of more than 28,373 artists. The museum employs 501-1,000 staff and is governed by an independent board of trustees with no parent company; Moody's has assigned an AA2 investment-grade rating with stable outlook on its revenue bonds, reflecting a diversified revenue base and low credit risk.

The institution's core product is gallery access delivered through admission tickets ($17-$30 adult pricing tiered by visitor type), with current anchor programming including a 300-work Marcel Duchamp career retrospective (April-August 2026) and curated permanent collection floors organized chronologically (Floors 2, 4, 5). Digital experience is layered through the Bloomberg Connects mobile app (free audio guide in 40 languages supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies), AI-generated artwork descriptions on the collection website, the MoMA Magazine editorial platform, and Coursera online courses, extending the institution's reach beyond its two physical sites. Supporting offerings include guided and group tours ($28-$125 per person), family programs anchored by the Heyman Family Art Lab, school programs, film series (supported by Chanel), MoMA Publications, and accessibility programs.

Revenue is generated through a multi-stream model including admissions, membership subscriptions, retail via MoMA Design Store (Manhattan flagship plus SoHo plus online), dining at The Modern (two Michelin stars), Café 2, Terrace Café, Espresso Bar, and Garden Bar, plus royalty-generating licensing deals (a five-year Mattel global partnership announced October 2025, Samsung Art Store integration, and IMG Licensing exclusive global representation) and corporate sponsorships (Bloomberg Philanthropies, UNIQLO Free Friday Nights, Chanel Film programming). Distribution extends globally through Samsung smart TVs, Mattel's consumer products distribution, CityPASS and Tiqets tourist bundles, and the MoMA Design Store e-commerce platform reaching customers worldwide.

Name

Museum of Modern Art

Legal name

The Museum of Modern Art

Website

https://moma.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Museum of Modern Art is a nonprofit cultural institution founded in 1929 in New York City, operating a nearly 200,000-work modern and contemporary art collection through two physical museum sites, digital platforms, retail stores, Michelin-starred dining, global licensing partnerships, and major corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Art museum services
• Modern art exhibitions
• Cultural education programs
• Museum membership programs
• Museum retail merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Admission Tickets: Ticket sales for museum entry ranging from $17-$30 per adult visitor, with free admission for children 16 and under and discounts for seniors, students, and visitors with disabilities.
2. Dining Services: On-site dining venues including The Modern (two Michelin stars), Terrace Café, Café 2, Espresso Bar, and Garden Bar. Museum admission required for some dining venues while The Modern operates independently.
3. Retail Operations: MoMA Museum Store and MoMA Design Store selling art-inspired merchandise, publications, and collectibles both in-person and online.
4. Membership Programs: Annual membership tiers offering unlimited free admission, discounts, exclusive events, and member-only access to exhibitions and early hours.
5. Licensing and Merchandising: Five-year global partnership with Mattel for product collections, Samsung Art Store integration, and IMG Licensing agreements for brand extension.
6. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Major corporate sponsors including Bloomberg Philanthropies, UNIQLO (Friday Nights), and Chanel (Film programs) providing funding in exchange for brand association.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) operates as a nonprofit cultural institution that provides public access to a collection of nearly 200,000 works of modern and contemporary art through physical museum visits, rotating exhibitions, and educational programming. The museum sells admission tickets, operates retail stores and dining venues, and offers membership programs. It also licenses its brand through partnerships with companies such as Mattel and Samsung, and provides digital collection access and guided audio content via the Bloomberg Connects app.

Product overview

The Museum of Modern Art operates as a unified physical and digital museum experience. The core offering is museum admission granting access to rotating exhibitions and permanent collection galleries organized chronologically from 1880s to today (Floors 2, 4, 5), with nearly 200,000 works and 106,000+ available online. The Bloomberg Connects digital guide (mobile app + QR codes) extends the physical visit with audio, tours, and maps in 40 languages. Family programs include the Heyman Family Art Lab, guided family tours, and activity resources. Additional offerings include The Modern (two Michelin-starred restaurant), Café 2, Terrace Café, Espresso Bar, and Garden Bar for dining; MoMA Design Store for retail merchandise; film series in on-site theaters; school programs for K-12; guided tours (regular, before/after-hours, gift tours); publications including exhibition catalogues; MoMA Magazine editorial content; and MoMA PS1, the free-admission contemporary art affiliate in Queens. The museum also maintains educational resources through Coursera online courses, audio guides, and art terms/artists reference databases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MoMA Collection Access Access to nearly 200,000 works of modern and contemporary art with over 106,000 works available online, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, prints, drawings, design objects, films, and digital art. For general public, students, educators, and art researchers.
• Exhibitions and Galleries Rotating exhibitions and permanent collection galleries organized chronologically across Floors 2, 4, and 5. Includes special exhibitions such as Marcel Duchamp retrospective, Frida and Diego: The Last Dream, Pierre Huyghe: UUmwelt, and American Folk Art. For museum visitors and tourists.
• Museum Admission Standard admission tickets granting access to all galleries and special exhibitions. Adults $30, seniors $22, students $17, children 16 and under free. Includes access to Heyman Family Art Lab and Cullman Education spaces.
• Bloomberg Connects Digital Guide Free digital guide mobile app providing audio commentary, self-guided tours, interactive museum maps, and MoMA highlights in 40 languages. Enhances physical museum visits through visitors' own mobile devices.
• MoMA Design Store Retail stores and online shop offering museum merchandise including art reproductions, publications, gifts, and design products. Includes flagship store adjacent to museum lobby, additional locations within the museum, and a separate MoMA Design Store location in SoHo.
• Dining Services On-site food and beverage venues: The Modern (two Michelin-starred fine dining), Café 2 (family-friendly Italian), Terrace Café (casual sixth-floor dining), Espresso Bar, and seasonal Garden Bar in Sculpture Garden.
• Guided and Group Tours Professional art historian-led tours during and outside museum hours. Customizable focus on galleries, mediums, or collection areas, available in multiple languages. Rates from $55/person (regular hours) to $125/person (after-hours). Group discounts available.
• MoMA PS1

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,652 exhibitions documented since 1929
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core, strategic, flagship and major.

• Rockefeller Brothers FundminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026Works on long-term loan from MoMA featured in outdoor Sculpture Walk at The Pocantico Center in Tarrytown, NY. Collaboration provides public access to Rockefeller art collection while Kykuit estate remains closed in 2026.
• Samsung ElectronicscoreTechnology or Integration · 16 March 2026Samsung Art Store expanded to include San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) content and additional MoMA artworks including 25 pieces by Ruth Asawa. Works available on Samsung QLED, Neo QLED, The Frame, The Frame Pro, and 2026 OLED TV lineup. Some artworks require paid subscription.
• M+ Hong KongstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 January 2026Partnership to share resources focusing on research, conservation, and exhibitions. Includes plans for upcoming exhibitions featuring Picasso and Zao Wou-Ki. Part of M+'s broader efforts to expand partnerships amid financial challenges in the Asian market.
• Mattel Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2025Five-year global partnership announced in October 2025, producing capsule collections of seven products inspired by MoMA's collection. First collection debuted November 11, 2025 featuring reinterpretations of masterpieces like Van Gogh's The Starry Night across Mattel brands including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Uno, Magic 8 Ball, and Little People Collector. Mattel sponsors MoMA's interactive Samuel and Ronnie Heyman Family Art Lab.
• IMG LicensingcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 May 2025Exclusive global licensing agreement managed by IMG Licensing as part of WME Group. IMG leverages its 40-year-old network of 25 offices across five continents to connect MoMA with emerging trends and cross-category opportunities in brand licensing.
• UNIQLOmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerUNIQLO sponsors Free Friday Nights, providing free admission for New York State residents on Friday evenings from 5:30-8:30 PM. Significant community engagement initiative enabling broader access to the museum.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Met is NYC's other leading encyclopedic art museum, operating from a single physical campus on Fifth Avenue with a comparable mix of admissions, retail, dining, exhibitions, and educational programming. It competes with MoMA directly for NYC cultural tourism, corporate sponsorships, and donor dollars.
• Tate Modern: Tate Modern is the UK's flagship museum of modern and contemporary art in London, with a similarly vast collection, blockbuster exhibitions, retail operations, and global brand recognition. It is the closest international peer in mission, scale, and operating model.
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum: Another major NYC modern and contemporary art museum with a globally recognized brand, signature Frank Lloyd Wright building, exhibitions, design store, and membership programs. Directly competes with MoMA for NYC visitors, corporate events, and contemporary art audiences.
• Whitney Museum of American Art: The Whitney is a leading NYC contemporary art museum with a Renzo Piano-designed building, ticketed exhibitions, retail, and strong brand. Competes head-to-head with MoMA for contemporary art programming, members, and tourist visitation.
• Centre Pompidou: France's national museum of modern and contemporary art in Paris with comparable exhibitions, retail, dining, and educational programming. A direct international peer at similar institutional scale.
• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA): SFMOMA is a major US modern art museum with a large collection, exhibitions, design store, and membership programs. Already partnered with MoMA for Samsung Art Store content, confirming overlapping content and audience strategy.

Broad incumbents

• National Gallery of Art: Washington DC's federally supported major art museum with a vast collection, free admission, exhibitions, and educational programming. Comparable institutional scale and programming depth, though with a different funding model and broader historical scope.
• Smithsonian Institution: The Smithsonian is a network of museums including art museums (e.g., Hirshhorn, SAAM, National Museum of African Art) with free admission, exhibitions, retail, and education. Overlaps with MoMA on art museum operations and cultural tourism, but operates at much broader institutional scale.
• The Louvre: The Louvre is the world's most-visited museum, operating at a much larger scale with admissions, retail, dining, licensing, and exhibitions. A broad incumbent that shares MoMA's diversified museum revenue model and global brand positioning, though focused on a broader historical scope.

Regional players

• M+ Museum (Hong Kong): M+ is Asia's leading contemporary visual culture museum, with a comparable mission in modern/contemporary art and an existing partnership with MoMA for research, conservation, and joint exhibitions. A regional peer for the Asian market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@themuseumofmodernart
• Facebookfacebook.com/MuseumofModernArt
• Instagraminstagram.com/themuseumofmodernart
• Xx.com/MuseumModernArt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-museum-of-modern-art

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Museum of Modern Art