news/cms/202411/11/news-p.v1.20241107.3a0e9bf263844e5ebb2a9486858493db_R.jpg" data-width="682" data-height="511" /> Enlarge photo Carly McCullosky, Associate Director of Travel Industry Sales & Marketing, Museum of Modern Art, New York / Photo = Museum of Modern Art, New York
“Korea took first place in the Asian market. “Now Korea is one of the most important markets for the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.”
Carly McCloskey, deputy director of travel industry sales and marketing at the Museum of Modern Art, said this when she met with reporters at a cafe in Gangnam, Seoul on the 5th.
The term ‘significant market’ was not an exaggeration. Carly, who visited Korea to attend the ‘New York Sales Mission’ event held for two days starting on the 31st of last month, extended her itinerary by four days and met with travel agents and reporters.
At the last New York Sales Mission event, 10 partner companies from New York participated. Among them, Carly, the person in charge of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, was the only one who extended her Korean schedule.
“Korea is currently one of the top five major markets. This is the first time that Korea entered the top 5. “Some months, we even ranked third in terms of number of visitors.”
news/cms/202411/11/news-p.v1.20241107.1b03e4e34c8947f69c709c5de3e1d38b_R.jpg" data-width="712" data-height="339" /> Enlarge photo New York Museum of Modern Art located in Midtown, New York / Photo = Hong Ji-yeon Travel+ Reporter
According to Kali, Korea is the only Asian region where the market recovered after the pandemic.
In response to this trend, the Museum of Modern Art in New York is taking proactive measures, such as increasing the number of official guides who can speak Korean.
Before Corona, there were only 3 guides who could speak Korean, but now there are 9. Currently, the Museum of Modern Art offers docent tours in a total of 13 languages.
The official guides of the New York Museum of Modern Art are composed of professional personnel, such as professors or gallery curators who majored in art history or currently teach at universities. They are all volunteers.
There are two guided tours of the Museum of Modern Art in New York that individual travelers can participate in. The first is a program held during regular operating hours and costs $50 (about 68,000 won) per adult.
What is popular recently is the ‘Before and After Hours Tour’. You can enjoy the works more leisurely by taking a tour before the museum opens and after it closes.
The program before opening costs $90 (about 123,000 won) per adult, and the tour after closing costs $110 (151,000 won) per adult. Guided tour prices include entrance fees.
news/cms/202411/11/news-p.v1.20241107.410e06438c3e42f08c1a828586fda48c_R.jpg" data-width="714" data-height="426" /> Enlarge photo A representative work of the New York Museum of Modern Art. Most famous works are on the 5th floor. / Photo = Hong Ji-yeon Travel + Reporter
When I asked Carly about places that might be of interest to travelers who are not familiar with art, the answer was, “The 5th floor of the gallery is the key.”
He explained, “In the exhibition hall on the 5th floor, you can see famous works that appear even in textbooks,” and “Iconic works such as Picasso, Monet, Warhol, Frida, and Dali are all gathered on the 5th floor.”
The works handled by the New York Museum of Modern Art are diverse. In addition to paintings, he also has a collection of architecture, design, automobiles, and even smartphone emoticons. There are also three movie screening rooms in the museum.
Because it covers a variety of art fields, including furniture exhibitions, through special exhibitions, a variety of people visit the New York Museum of Modern Art from time to time.
“I especially like the sculpture park. “It is a cultural complex where various events are held, starting with DJ parties on sunny summer days.”
news/cms/202411/11/news-p.v1.20241107.be91c57025734157b0e01b047966ea63_R.jpg" data-width="766" data-height="507" /> Enlarge photo The Museum of Modern Art in New York has the restaurant ‘The Modern’, which received 2 stars in the Michelin Guide / Photo = Homepage of the Museum of Modern Art in New York
The Museum of Modern Art also has three restaurants. ‘The Modern’ is a restaurant that received two stars from the Michelin Guide.
The ‘Chef’s Table’ seats, where you can taste food while chatting with the chef, are so popular that you need to make a reservation 2-3 weeks in advance.
“The time when there are less people is lunch time. Also, when the weather is sunny, everyone goes outdoors, so the museum is relatively quiet.” Carly gave viewing tips.
news/cms/202411/11/news-p.v1.20241107.155a249850da4c939ba2eeeeab2dddb4_R.jpg" data-width="469" data-height="308" /> Enlarge photo Moma Design Store located across the street from the Museum of Modern Art in New York / Photo = Travel+ Reporter Hong Ji-yeon
The design store and souvenir shop are as popular as the exhibition hall. ‘Moma Design Store’ is located across from the art museum, and the souvenir shop is located in the basement of the same building as the art museum.
The Museum of Modern Art in New York also plays a role in promoting Korean artists to the global art market. This is largely due to the Korean company Hyundai Card.
Hyundai Card, which has supported the New York Museum of Modern Art since 2006, has recently been discovering new artists through the ‘First Look’ special exhibition.
Korean artist Seungjo Lee’s work was introduced to the Museum of Modern Art in New York through a new first look exhibition in June. For this exhibition, MoMA exhibition team employees visited Korea in person last April.
This is not the only relationship between the Museum of Modern Art and Korea. The Museum of Modern Art in New York held an exhibition by Korean artist Yang Hae-gyu to celebrate its reopening after completing expansion work in 2019.
news/cms/202411/11/news-p.v1.20241107.9ab4cf6dfea143429d5f670e12dc92d8_R.jpg" data-width="710" data-height="608" /> Enlarge the photo. A work from the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The bottom left is a work by artist Lee Ufan. / Photo = Hong Ji-yeon Travel + Reporter
In addition, Korean audio programs are provided free of charge to the number of visitors to Korea, which has been rapidly increasing since the pandemic.
Meanwhile, New York was a popular travel destination with an average of 420,000 Korean visitors per year before the pandemic. This is the largest number for a single city in the United States.
According to the New York Tourism Office, the number of Korean visitors to New York from January to the end of October this year was 409,000, which has already surpassed the number of visitors in 2019.
▶▶▶ Surprising facts about MoMA heard directly from Carly McCullosky
“The Museum of Modern Art in New York holds approximately 40 special exhibitions a year.”
“The permanent exhibition also changes its works about three times a year. “As the exhibition room is reorganized according to the theme, the location of the works may change.”
news/cms/202411/11/news-p.v1.20241107.725effa480cd44859545c18ec0a6360d_R.jpg" data-width="663" data-height="364" /> Enlarge photo ‘Lily P. Bliss Special Exhibition’ to be held from the 17th to March 29th of next year. Lily P. Bliss is one of the founders of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. / Photo = New York Museum of Modern Art website
“MoMA was founded by three women. From November 17th to March 29th next year, a special exhibition will be held with the theme of Lillie P. Bliss, one of the founders. “This is an exhibition that collects the works of Paul Cézanne and Pablo Picasso, which he loved during his lifetime.”
“MoMA has the largest social media following of any museum in the world.”
“MoMA is currently operating an official Naver blog (blog.naver.com/themuseumofmodernart) for Korean travelers. “Launched in May 2023.”
“The Museum of Modern Art in New York has ‘Professional Framers’ who specialize in replacing the frames of works.”
news/cms/202411/11/news-p.v1.20241107.badd8abe80b94ba08edb3aa7a6be239e_R.jpg" data-width="1017" data-height="634" /> Enlarge photo ‘Starry Night’, one of the most loved works at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It was photographed in 2010 in a golden frame. / Photo = MoMA official YouTube 
news/cms/202411/11/news-p.v1.20241107.bfa9d482deb44e1da9c0c0c3b7d6b07e_R.jpg" data-width="1169" data-height="635" /> Enlarge photo ‘Starry Night’ with frame replacement in 2019 / Photo = MoMA Official YouTube 
news/cms/202411/11/news-p.v1.20241107.bb52729998af4acd8c8dc91b132bff63_R.jpg" data-width="873" data-height="613" /> ‘Starry Night’ moved back to the exhibition room after changing the frame to enlarge the photo / Photo = MoMA Official YouTube
“Vincent van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night,’ one of Koreans’ favorite works, had its frame replaced in 2019. The reason why the frame was changed from gold to black was because Van Gogh wanted it. “In a letter he wrote to his brother Theo when he was alive, Van Gogh said he preferred black picture frames.”
▶▶▶ What about Carly McCullosky?
He has over 15 years of experience in New York City’s museum and cultural industries. Before MoMA, he worked in marketing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Broadway shows, and the Paul Taylor Dance Company.
Hong Ji-yeon Travel + Reporter
