The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

Location: New York, NY
Overview: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), located in Midtown Manhattan, is one of the world’s most renowned institutions for modern and contemporary art. Since its founding in 1929, it has been at the forefront of showcasing cutting-edge works across a wide range of disciplines—painting, sculpture, photography, design, architecture, film, and performance. Its permanent collection includes iconic masterpieces such as Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, and Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans. In addition to its celebrated permanent exhibitions, MoMA regularly hosts innovative special exhibitions that offer something new with every visit. A major renovation in 2019 expanded its galleries, allowing for a richer, more diverse viewing experience. The adjoining MoMA Design Store is also beloved by visitors worldwide, offering beautifully curated products that bring art and design into everyday life.

“MoMA is always the first museum people visit when they come to New York.”
—Someone once said that.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t true for us.
We’d already spent the previous day at The Met, so for us, MoMA was our second stop.

We came to MoMA with one clear purpose: to see Rousseau’s The Dream.
To encounter works by Cézanne and Rousseau isn’t just a typical museum visit—it holds a deeper meaning for us.
And for those who’ve read Maha Harada’s novel Canvas of Paradise, skipping MoMA when visiting New York is simply not an option.

So, with high hopes and fluttering hearts, we arrived at the museum we had long admired.
Inside, the space buzzed with visitors from all over the world, a chorus of languages echoing through the galleries.
Crowds clustered around the most famous paintings, as expected.
But curiously, in front of the works that drew us most—those by Cézanne and Rousseau—there were fewer people.
Which meant we could stand there as long as we liked, quietly, fully immersed.

It was only after we had soaked in Picasso’s works that a sense of unease crept in.
By now, surely The Dream should have appeared.
But no matter where we looked, it was nowhere to be found.

That’s when Ryo checked the exhibition status—and uncovered a heartbreaking truth:
The Dream was temporarily not on display.

The disappointment hit hard. We were genuinely crushed.
As I stood there, downcast, Ryo calmly delivered his usual phrase:
“Just goes to show—you can’t assume something will always be there.”

Despite the lingering regret of missing that one piece, the rest of the museum was so incredible that we still had a deeply fulfilling experience at MoMA—the museum most people visit first when they come to New York.

The crowd snapping selfies in front of masterpieces later formed a long line at the gift shop.
We joined them, picking out a few MoMA items to take home.
As frustrating as it was, we had to admit—every single design was, of course, exceptional.