"Archived Copy".pdf

The Rockefeller family played a crucial role in the founding and success of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, along with friends Lillie P. Bliss and Mary Sullivan, founded the museum in the 1920s to showcase modern art. Abby's interest in modern art, particularly prints by American artists, led to her donating over 1,400 prints to the museum by 1940. Her support and friendship with the museum's first director, Alfred H. Barr, Jr., were essential to its early success. Nelson Rockefeller later became involved, chairing the Building Committee and hiring architect Edward Stone to design the museum's new building, which opened in 1939. The museum's multi-departmental plan, submitted by Barr in 1929, has remained largely intact for over 60 years, with the museum continuing to add new programs and exhibitions.