The "Picasso Sculpture" exhibition at MoMA has proved so popular the New York City art museum is moving from open admission to timed tickets to see the popular Picasso sculpture show. The change takes place on November 10, 2015, leaving one weekend left to see the show without advance reservations.
Anticipating a swell of visitors during the holiday season, the museum is making the change so visitors can better see the art instead of risking the chance the sculpture will only be viewable while peering between the shoulders of people who waited for a clear vantage point.
Tickets can be purchased at the museum or online. Advance purchase is recommended by the Museum of Modern Art. There is no additional charge to see the exhibition beyond museum admission.
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"She-Goat" by Pablo Picasso, Valluris, 1950 (cast 1952). Bronze. 46 3/8 x 56 3/8 x 28 1/8 inches. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Mrs. Simon Guggenheim Fund. © 2015 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
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"Picasso Sculpture" remains on view through February 7, 2016. A sweeping survey, the exhibition includes around 150 sculptures, many on view for the first time ever in the United States.
Critics have embraced the exhibition as a winner.
Roberta Smith of the The New York Times called the show "One of the best exhibitions you'll ever see at The Museum of Modern Art..." Jerry Salz of New York Magazine proclaimed "Whatever you do, don’t miss this exhibition; this is exactly the kind of show MoMA is made for." Charles A. Riley II of Hamptons Art Hub said "The must-see museum show of the early fall has touched down at MoMA, and it is colossal."
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"Vase: Woman" by Pablo Picasso, Vallauris, 1948. White earthenware, painted with slips, 18 11/16 x 6 1/2 x 4 5/16 inches. Musée national Picasso–Paris
© 2015 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
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"Picasso Sculpture" is not the first time MoMA's exhibitions made use of timed tickets to manage crowd flow for popular exhibitions. Most recently, "Heri Matisse: The Cut-Outs" (2014-15) required timed tickets; so did the Songbirds portion Björk exhibition (2015) where visitors could listen to the singer's songs. In 2009-10, "Tim Burton" moved from optional timed tickets to required ones due to the swell of interest in the show.
Strangely enough, "Rain Room" (2013) remained a first-come, first-serve experience with wait times reported between 6 to 8 hours to gain entrance to the experiential installation where 10 people max was the limit. The museum later instituted an alternate viewing where people could see the exhibition from close range without full immersion. Extended hours were also put into place, another way MoMA typically manages crowd flow to ensure those who want to see the art in popular exhibitions can do so.
So far, daily attendance to "Picasso Sculpture" averages around 6,000, according to MoMA as reported by The New York Times. As expected, weekend viewing draws more people than weekdays.
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"Chair" by Pablo Picasso, Cannes, 1961. Painted sheet metal, 45 1/2 × 45 1/16 × 35 1/16 inches. Musée national Picasso–Paris. © 2015 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
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BASIC FACTS: "Picasso Sculpture" remains on view through February 7, 2016. Admission to the museum is $25 for adults, $18 for seniors, $14 for full-time students and free for 16 years old and younger. MoMA is located at 11 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019. www.moma.org.
RELATED: "ART REVIEW: Must See Picasso Sculpture Show at MoMA" by Charles A. Riley II.
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