2006年VOA标准英语-Museum of Modern Art in New York Newly Expanded

By Joseph Mok
New York City
01 August 2006
 
watch Museum report
 

The spacious¹ MoMA lobby holds large crowds and large pieces of art   
  
Founded in 1929 on the idea of providing the best modern art museum in the world, the Museum of Modern Art in midtown Manhattan has been redefined through its recent expansion.  VOA's Joseph Mok reports on the newly-renovated MoMA; Elaine Lu narrates².

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Peter Reed 
  
Today, MoMA occupies a space more than 58,000 square meters, almost double its original size and capacity before the expansion project from 2002 to 2004.

In order to transform MoMA's original buildings and additions into a unified³ whole, the museum conducted a worldwide search for an architect to carry out their vision. Peter Reed is MoMA's Senior Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs.

Architect Yoshio Taniguchi designed the expansion and refurbishment of the Museum of Modern Art    
  
"You are visiting the newly expanded MOMA. We nearly doubled in size with this new building by Yoshio Taniguchi. There was something of an international -- not quite a competition -- but the museum invited 10 architects to make a kind of a proposal.  And it was to get an idea how these architects think. In other words, we weren't asking for a blueprint⁴ of MOMA but how might you approach the idea of designing a modern art museum," Mr. Reed told us. "That list of ten was then reduced to three finalists. And Yoshio Taniguchi was one of them.  In the end, the trustees selected Taniguchi to design this building."

The Entrance

Taniguchi takes inspiration from the streets in New York City for the lobby design.  The interior promenade⁵ offers expansive views of the Sculpture Garden and the light-filled atrium, which soars almost 34 meters above street level. The lobby houses the information center and ticket counters. It also provides access to the museum's theaters, restaurant, stores, and Sculpture Garden.

 
One of many sculptures in the MoMA garden 
  
Sculpture Garden

Among all the expansion and renovation⁶, Taniguchi considers the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden the most distinctive⁷ single element of the museum.  He preserved Philip Johnson's original 1953 design, but enlarged the garden and re-established the southern terrace.  Views of modern sculptures, lush plants, and the reflection pool of the garden are now available from numerous vantage points throughout the Museum.

Museum of Modern Art art gallery  
  

Art Work

The new David and Peggy Rockefeller Building houses the museum's main collection and temporary exhibition galleries. Spacious galleries for contemporary art are located on the second floor; while smaller, more intimately scaled galleries for the main collection are on the levels above. Expansive, sky-lit galleries for temporary exhibitions are located on the top floor.

MoMA's collections are divided into six broad categories:
· Painting and sculpture · Architecture and design
· Film and media · Photography · Drawings
· Prints and illustrated⁸ books 

 

Museum of Modern Art vehicles exhibit   
  

Architecture and Design Collection

Established in 1932, the architecture and design collection is the world's first curatorial department devoted⁹ to this category.   The architecture collection documents buildings through models, drawings, and photographs. The design collection includes more than 3,000 objects, ranging from appliances, furniture, and tableware to tools, textiles, sports cars and even a helicopter. The collection provides an extensive overview¹⁰ of modernism.

Notable Artwork
 
 
The Andrew Wyeth painting of Christina's World is one of the best-known American paintings in the collection 
  
Some of the most renowned¹¹ paintings and drawings from the 19th to the 21st century are among MoMA's collections.

Claude Monet's culminating work from his career, the triptych "Water Lilies" covers a length of 6 meters of the wall. 

Vincent van Gogh's "Starry¹² Night" paved the way for expressionist paintings to come.

Pablo Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon", is perhaps the single most influential¹³ work in the history of modern art.

Paul Cezanne's watercolor "Foliage¹⁴" explores colors and lines, leaving almost an unfinished impression.

Andy Warhol's iconic "Golden Marilyn Monroe", captures the glamorous¹⁵ yet transient legend of American popular culture.

Edward Hopper's "House by the Railroad" expresses a consistent theme of his works: loneliness.

Andrew Wyeth's "Christina's World" is probably one of the most familiar American paintings of the 20th century.

And the list goes on.  Familiar as these works may seem to visitors, curators of MoMA emphasize the idea of revisiting artworks.

Visitors enjoy relaxing in the museum's sculpture garden   
  
"When I can, during the day or during the week, (I) take time out and to spend time in the galleries," says Reed. "It might be in the painting gallery. There is a sense of revisiting, which I think is very important to stress for us as curators and for the visitors. Is it enough to say, ‘Oh, I saw that Jackson Pollack painting. I've seen it. Been there. Done that.' What I like to do is revisit it. Look at it again and again and again and study it. And sometimes you see things differently. Sometimes, it's the relationship of how that work is installed in relationship to another work in the gallery. And I think this is important. This idea of looking repeatedly at works of art is important."

Intertwining dynamic architectural expression and brilliant exhibitions throughout the year, today's MoMA is more prepared to receive visitors around the world for a visit or a revisit. 

1 spacious   

adj.广阔的，宽敞的

参考例句：

• Our yard is spacious enough for a swimming pool.我们的院子很宽敞，足够建一座游泳池。
• The room is bright and spacious.这房间很豁亮。

2 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

3 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

4 blueprint   

n.蓝图，设计图，计划；vt.制成蓝图，计划

参考例句：

• All the machine parts on a blueprint must answer each other.设计图上所有的机器部件都应互相配合。
• The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.文件内附有一张核装置的设计蓝图。

5 promenade   

n./v.散步

参考例句：

• People came out in smarter clothes to promenade along the front.人们穿上更加时髦漂亮的衣服，沿着海滨散步。
• We took a promenade along the canal after Sunday dinner.星期天晚饭后我们沿着运河散步。

6 renovation   

n.革新，整修

参考例句：

• The cinema will reopen next week after the renovation.电影院修缮后，将于下星期开业。
• The building has undergone major renovation.这座大楼已进行大整修。

7 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

8 illustrated   

adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• His lecture was illustrated with slides taken during the expedition. 他在讲演中使用了探险时拍摄到的幻灯片。
• The manufacturing Methods: Will be illustrated in the next chapter. 制作方法将在下一章说明。

9 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

10 overview   

n.概观，概述

参考例句：

• The opening chapter gives a brief historical overview of transport.第一章是运输史的简要回顾。
• The seminar aims to provide an overview on new media publishing.研讨会旨在综览新兴的媒体出版。

11 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

12 starry   

adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的

参考例句：

• He looked at the starry heavens.他瞧着布满星星的天空。
• I like the starry winter sky.我喜欢这满天星斗的冬夜。

13 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

14 foliage   

n.叶子，树叶，簇叶

参考例句：

• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage.小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。
• Dark foliage clothes the hills.浓密的树叶覆盖着群山。

15 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。