The MoMA Archives is located on the sixth floor of The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Education and Research Building, accessible from within the Museum or by the direct entrance at 4 West 54 Street.
Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 1:00-5:00 p.m. Appointment required.
To ask us a question or to make an appointment, use our online form.
Upon entering the Education and Research Building, you will be required to check in a locker all coats, bags, briefcases, purses, computer cases, pens, and bottles of water. The only items that may be taken into the Archives reading room are laptops, notebooks, pencils, sweaters, suit jackets, wallets, and cellular phones. Cellular phones must be turned off and used only outside of the reading room.
The MoMA Archives is closed during the month of August and for two weeks in December.
Photocopy Policy
Researchers are permitted to make fifty photocopies per day, including printouts from microfilm. Items should always remain in their folders; archives staff will provide photocopy markers for researchers to identify the pages they wish to copy.
Before proceeding to the photocopier, please take the relevant files to the reference desk to clear permission with Archives staff. At the discretion of the archivist, certain materials may not be photocopied for preservation reasons.
Once you have copied an item, please immediately place the original back into it’s file in its original order. When you are finished, remove photocopy markers and place the photocopies on top of the folder containing the originals. Take the folder with the copies to the reference desk.
Each photocopy will be stamped “The Museum of Modern Art Archives” and marked with the collection name and file information. Photocopies must be submitted to an Archives staff member for stamping by 4:45 p.m. each day. The fee for copies is $0.25 a page. Exact change is not needed; payment should be made in U.S. Dollars or by personal check drawn on a U.S. bank to the reference archivist, who can provide change and a receipt.
Digital photography is permitted for research purposes only, provided you complete and sign our Application for Permission to Photograph Archival Materials when you arrive. The Archives does not provide digital cameras. Researchers are not permitted to bring in personal scanners.
Permission to Publish Archival Material
Researchers must obtain advance permission from the MoMA Archives to publish and/or quote from any archival material. In addition, some collections require the approval of the donors or their estates. Furthermore, the researcher must independently comply with obtaining any necessary permissions from the copyright holder.
Please use the following form to apply for permission and to ensure the correct citation of material.
If you need to contact us prior to your visit, please use the following contact information.
Mailing Address:
The Museum of Modern Art
Museum Archives
11 West 53 Street
New York, NY 10019
Tel.: (212) 708-9617
Fax: (212) 408-6385
Or write to us here.