Half-hour tour of the Museum of Modern Art

Madison poses before Jackson Pollock’s One: Number 31, 1950.

Bringing children to art museums fosters their creativity and expands their cultural horizons. In an ideal world, that is. The reality often involves dragging a whiny tyke into a gallery filled with objects that even you don’t understand. But don’t cede all field trips to your offspring’s school just yet. Time Out Kids’ new series, “Speed date,” offers half-hour highlight tours of imposing institutions. First up on our roster is MoMA, home of 100-plus years of groundbreaking visual expression, from painting and sculpture to furniture and film. The following time frame worked for our guinea pig—Madison, age 7—but we recommend you tailor the minutes to your youngsters’ interests. For added fun, ride the escalators from floor to floor.

00:00–00:03 In the atrium, sprawl on the padded benches and gaze upward at the Bell-47D1, a suspended helicopter whose cockpit is encased in a transparent plastic bubble, giving it an insectlike appearance. The chopper illustrates the concept that art can be many things—even an efficient machine.

00:04–00:07 In the Architecture and Design Galleries, continue talking about art’s broad definition by examining Joe Colombo’s Tube Chair of Nesting and Combinable Elements (1955), four hollow cylinders covered in candy-apple-red fabric that form a seat.

Campbell’s Soup Cans by Andy Warhol

00:08–00:16 Head to the fourth floor’s Painting and Sculpture Galleries to see Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans (1962). Your tots will instantly recognize the labels from the bodega. Ask them which flavors sound tastiest, and challenge them to spot variations—other than the names —among the cans. When you’re done playing eye spy, mosey over to Jackson Pollock’s One: Number 31, 1950, on the same floor. The painting’s vast size and inherent messiness will appeal to finger-painters. Those who prefer order may want to learn about Pollock’s process—he used a drip technique that created continuous streams of pigment.

00:17–00:20 In the fifth floor’s Painting and Sculpture Galleries, your kids will marvel at the dreamlike Olive Trees (1889) by Vincent van Gogh. There’s much to say about the masterpiece, so here’s a quick take-away lesson: Van Gogh was a genius at conveying movement on a canvas. Ask your children how they would draw something to show it’s in motion.

Bicycle Wheel by Marcel Duchamp

© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New
York/ADAGP, Paris/Estate of Marcel Duchamp

00:21–00:25 Check out Marcel Duchamp’s Bicycle Wheel (1951), also on the fifth floor. The piece prompts your family to ponder whether rendering a tool unusable transforms it into art.

00:26–00:30+ Descend to the main floor, walk through the Sculpture Garden, and enter the Education Building (4 W 54th St at Fifth Ave). Here, your brood can wind down by reading colorful picture books related to your visit. Try our pick: Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson.

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