MoMa is Dead, Long Live the New MoMA

Museum of Modern Art built, or rather, rebuilt, by the Japanese architect

Yoshio Taniguchi. He preserved and even restored most of the Museum's original facades on 53rd Street while doing away with

Cesar Pelli's addition, which was only 20 years old.

There are only a few artworks in this lobby, among them large paintings by Kelly, Lichtenstein and one gorgeous mural-sized canvas by Mir-. But their presence is not enough to conceal the primarily utilitarian purpose of the lobby, which is to efficiently handle large crowds of visitors. And large crowds they were: a half-hour wait to buy tickets, an equally long line to the checkroom. It was friendly pandemonium both days I was there.

As one might expect, the most crowded with tourists were the spacious, well-proportioned galleries on the fifth floor, where the whole history of Modern Art is gloriously laid out. It starts with Cezanne and Van Gogh, then marches on with the likes of Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian, and the list goes on and on. As we all know, the collection is incomparable. And in the new building, which almost doubles the exhibition space, there are more artworks on display than ever before.

Holiday Gift Ideas:

Edward Goldman offers the following books as excellent holiday gifts. You can purchase them online by clicking on the links above; at Hennessey + Ingalls and Bergamot Books at 2525 Michigan Avenue in Santa Monica (310-453-5768), which are two favorites of Edward's; or at these Southland bookstores that honor KCRW's Fringe Benefits cards:

• Duveen: A Life in Art by Meryle Secrest (Knopf, 2004)

• Jacques Henri Lartigue: The Invention of an Artist by Kevin Moore (Princeton University Press, 2004)

• Tadao Ando: Light and Water by Kenneth Frampton (Monacelli Press, 2003)

• Ed Ruscha by Richard D. Marshall (Phaidon, 2003)