The Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw (MSN Warsaw) opened its doors last week, unveiling its inaugural exhibition, “The Impermanent: Four Takes on the Collection.” The exhibition offers four distinct perspectives on art history since 1950 and marks the largest-ever presentation of the institution’s collection. “When we set out to build MSN Warsaw’s permanent home after the institution spent its first two decades as a roving museum, ‘The Impermanent’ was precisely the kind of ambitious exhibition we wanted to be able to present,” said Joanna Mytkowska, Director of MSN Warsaw. “With a new building that matches the strength of our holdings, we now have a home that is perfectly suited to tell stories about the history of art that our collection can tell.”
The striking, light-filled MSN Warsaw, designed by Thomas Phifer, provides a significant contrast to the towering Soviet-era Palace of Culture and Science in Parade Square.
The new space includes 4,544 square meters for exhibitions, a 150-seat theater, conservation studios, and a public forum that integrates the city with the museum. The museum’s cast-in-place white concrete facade was crafted by local artisans. A monumental double-symmetrical staircase links the three levels of the museum, which are illuminated by a skylight.
The ground floor remains open to the city, leading visitors into interconnected gallery suites above. These exhibition spaces, lined with European ash ‘city rooms,’ offer framed views of Warsaw through their windows.
Museum opens with inaugural exhibition
The opening exhibition, “The Impermanent: Four Takes on the Collection,” curated by a team led by Sebastian Cichocki, takes visitors on a journey through the shifting landscapes of post-war and contemporary art. The exhibition is organized into four thematic sections that explore the role of art in political, cultural, and spiritual debates. “Engagement, Realism, and Political Art” highlights politically charged works, such as Alina Szapocznikow’s “Friendship” (1954), alongside pieces by Nikita Kadan and William Pope.L. “Synthetic Materialities: Body, Commodity and Fetish from the Cold War to the Present” delves into the relationship between art, consumerism, and mass media, featuring artists like Sylvie Fleury and Isa Genzken.
“Dark Planet: Art, Spirituality and Future Coexistence” brings together artists like Miriam Cahn and Roman Stańczak to explore non-modernist traditions and spiritual practices. Lastly, “Real Abstractions: The Autonomy of Art Against the Catastrophes of Modernity” critiques modernism’s utopian ideals, with pieces such as Monika Sosnowska’s “Façade.”
The museum’s diverse holdings include over 4,300 works spanning visual arts, graphic and industrial design, architecture, performance, and multimedia. Notable artists featured in the collection include Magdalena Abakanowicz, Alina Szapocznikow, Monika Sosnowska, Cecilia Vicuña, and Thomas Hirschhorn.
As the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw opens its doors, it not only provides a home for its extensive collection but also strengthens its role as a cultural hub in Warsaw. The exhibition “The Impermanent: Four Takes on the Collection” will be open to the public until October 4, 2025.