Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why did the Museum of Modern Art move away from arranging art only by chronology or medium in 2019?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Neue Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart, designed by Sir James Stirling, featuring tan stone walls, a slanted green-framed glass window, and colorful blue and pink railings. — Museum of modern art The New State Gallery (Neue Staatsgalerie), Stuttgart, Germany, designed by James Stirling, completed in 1984.

In 2019, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) underwent a significant expansion and a complete rehang of its collection. The institution moved away from traditional exhibition models—which relied on strict chronology, discipline, or region—to better reflect the evolving nature of art history and address contemporary social concerns.1

By organizing works according to themes, curators aimed to create more dynamic narratives that could better integrate diverse perspectives. This shift was specifically intended to address issues of diversity by incorporating more art by women and persons of colour, moving beyond the limitations of a singular, linear historical canon. This approach aligns with broader efforts in modern art museums to experiment with refreshed historical narratives and thematic investigations, allowing institutions to explore art through lenses such as gender and identity rather than just traditional categorization.12