Baryn Futa and the Museum of Modern Art

To many, including fine arts appreciator Baryn Futa, New York City’s Museum of Modern Art is often considered the most influential museum display of modern art throughout the world. Located in New York City -- specifically in Midtown Manhattan -- the museum was first developed in 1929 by the wife of famed John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, as well as two of her friends. The family’s posh lifestyle and wealthy friends allowed it to thrive at that moment despite opening during the same time as the Wall Street crash.

The museum has flourished since opening. Today, it houses some of the world’s most eminent modern masterpieces, including Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night and Claude Monet’s Water Lilies. Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans is also among the collections, which are more than 150,000 pieces, not including millions of film stills and films.

Futa urges not only a sincere appreciation for these pieces so delicately collected and preserved for the world to see, but also the need to support the work accomplished by the Museum of Modern Art -- a place without which the community would not have access to these fine arts. Although MoMa is a private, non-profit organization, not every museum has the same luxury with the same significant operations budget. As Futa notes, even when viewing some of the world’s most notable masterpieces, it’s a time to reflect on arts completed everywhere and funding needed for even the smallest artists.

The Art Mission of Baryn Futa

The world of modern art is not always easy to understand or explore on your own. There are so many different mediums, styles, and audiences that it can get very confusing. Modern art, after all, is practiced by an endless number of unique and interesting artists. The good news is that we are living in an age in which art is accessible for virtually everyone. While the fine arts were a few centuries ago reserved only for the most wealthy and privileged among us, today it is as accessible as an Internet connection or a trip to the local museum. Baryn Futa has made it his mission to ensure that great modern art can be seen by more people. That is why he frequently loans pieces from his personal collection out to museums and exhibitions, so that more people can appreciate them. Baryn Futa believes that art exists to be admired and appreciated, not hidden.

Baryn Futa was not always a supporter of the arts. Up until he retired, he wasn't even aware that he loved the modern arts. He discovered his love for art soon after and began educating himself on the finer points of the arts. He did this by attending museums, going to art fairs, and attending fine arts and art history classes, both in brick-and-mortar classrooms and online ones.