Some people collect stamps, some collect antique toasters - and it turns out that I collect museums.

And MoMA? That was a missing piece in my collection. Finally made it. Finally checked it off. And yes, it felt like a a grand fête!

MoMA’s treasures? Massive. Legendary. Overwhelming. But let’s not try to cover everything - instead, here are three pieces that stopped me in my tracks.

Picasso’s study for Les Demoiselles d’Avignon
Before Picasso locked in his final composition, he played around - a lot. This tiny oil sketch shows Demoiselles in a different universe, with two male figures: a sailor and a medical student holding a skull (casual). In the final piece? Gone. Picasso scrapped them so that the women stare straight at us instead. A power move.

Matisse, The Moroccans
Matisse is, as always, my Matisse. But this time, it was a painting I didn’t even know before - The Moroccans. Huge. Hypnotic. A complete revelation. I stood in front of it forever, soaking in its rhythms, its colors, its sheer presence. This one hit differently.

Klimt, The Park - Klimt went full wild mode here. Turns out, he used a cardboard viewfinder to frame his scenes before painting, but this? This feels like nature taking over, unfiltered. A mesmerizing explosion of green (and pink, and blue, and purple, and yellow, oh my!).

And remember - no selfies with paintings!

Bisou bisou, Jo

Photos: Joanna Gniady