The world's pre-eminent collection of art from the late 19th cent. to the present day, privately founded in 1929 by a group of collectors. It operated first in rented premises, holding loan shows, but the nucleus of the permanent collection was established with the bequests of Lillie P. Bliss (including nine Cézannes) and other founders.
The present building, in 53rd Street, was opened in 1939 and there have been several major extensions (in 1966 it took over the adjacent premises vacated by the Whitney Museum when it moved to its new home). Apart from painting, sculpture, and the graphic arts, the museum has collections of photographs, films, and architectural documentation, and a large library. Through its permanent collections, exhibitions, and many other activities it exercises a strong influence both on taste and on artistic production. The many publications it has produced include some of the standard works on modern art, several of them written by Alfred H. Barr, jun., the first director of the museum.
from The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists
