M+ and MoMA Forge Landmark Collaboration: Bridging Eastern and Western Art Worlds

In a landmark move for the art world, Hong Kong's M+ museum and New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on February 18, 2025, marking the first comprehensive collaboration between MoMA and an Asian institution.

This partnership encompasses six key areas: joint curatorial research and exchange; conservation and collection management; artwork loans; sharing sustainability practices; training and professional development; and exhibition and program exchange. The agreement signifies a shared commitment to international collaboration, cultural exchange, and museum development.

About M+ and MoMA

M+, located in Hong Kong's West Kowloon Cultural District, is Asia's global museum of contemporary visual culture. It is dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and interpreting visual art, design and architecture, moving image, and Hong Kong visual culture of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The museum stewards a multidisciplinary permanent collection that includes objects from regions across Asia and beyond, notably the M+ Sigg Collection, one of the world's most extensive collections of Chinese contemporary art.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), founded in 1929, is a leading institution for modern and contemporary art, housing approximately 200,000 works spanning 150 years. Its collection includes masterpieces such as Van Gogh's "The Starry Night," Andy Warhol's "Campbell's Soup Cans," and Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon."

Key Areas of Collaboration

The MOU between M+ and MoMA outlines collaboration in six key areas:

1. Joint Curatorial Research and Exchange: Both institutions will engage in collaborative research projects and share curatorial expertise.

2. Conservation and Collection Management: The partnership will focus on best practices in acquisition, preservation, care, display, and access to artworks.

3. Artwork Loans: Facilitating the exchange of artworks between the two museums to enrich their respective exhibitions.

4. Sharing Sustainability Practices: Collaborating on sustainable practices within museum operations.

5. Training and Professional Development: Providing opportunities for staff development and knowledge sharing.

6. Exhibition and Program Exchange: Co-organizing exhibitions and programs to reach broader audiences.

Leadership Perspectives

Suhanya Raffel, Museum Director of M+, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, "We are excited to embark on this partnership, which will not only deepen mutual understanding and strengthen our exchange, but also set the stage for collaboration on curatorial affairs, collection development, exhibition research, and museum operations."

Glenn D. Lowry, The David Rockefeller Director of MoMA, echoed this sentiment: "We are thrilled to partner with M+ on an ambitious new collaboration, to exchange expertise and ideas that will help us take our museums forward in new and exciting directions and create more opportunities for our global audiences to experience and engage with contemporary art and artists."

This partnership signifies a major step in fostering international collaboration between Western and Asian art institutions. It reflects a growing recognition of the importance of cultural exchange in the global art scene. For M+, this collaboration enhances its position as a leading museum in Asia, providing access to MoMA's extensive expertise and resources. For MoMA, the partnership offers a stronger presence in Asia, a region with a rapidly growing art market and audience.

While M+ has previously signed agreements with over 20 institutions worldwide, including the Centre Pompidou in France and the Tate in the United Kingdom, this MOU with MoMA is considered the most extensive. It marks the first comprehensive collaboration between MoMA and an Asian museum, setting a precedent for future partnerships between Western and Asian art institutions.

This comprehensive partnership between M+ and MoMA not only strengthens the ties between two leading art institutions but also underscores the importance of international collaboration in the arts, fostering a richer and more inclusive global cultural dialogue.