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Modern Art & Ideas

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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8

6,920 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule
7 hours to complete
Learn at your own pace
98%
Most learners liked this course

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8

6,920 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule
7 hours to complete
Learn at your own pace
98%
Most learners liked this course

What you'll learn

  • Learn how to decode complex artworks by looking closely and thinking critically—essential skills for navigating the world today.

  • Explore how artists respond to the most urgent challenges of our modern world through themes like Identity and Society.

  • Gain exclusive "behind-the-scenes" access to the materials, techniques, and motivations of world-class artists and designers.

  • Become fluent in thematic frameworks that will help you cultivate a professional toolkit for critical thinking and lateral reasoning skills.

Details to know

Shareable certificate

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Assessments

1 assignment¹

AI Graded see disclaimer
Taught in English

Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Modern and Contemporary Art and Design Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
  • Learn new concepts from industry experts
  • Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
  • Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
  • Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 6 modules in this course

Unlock the world of modern art from a global authority on the subject. Modern Art & Ideas from The Museum of Modern Art is designed for lifelong learners, students, professionals, and anyone seeking to build high-level critical thinking and visual literacy skills.

This is not your typical art history course. You will learn about art through accessible and relevant thematic frameworks—Art & Identity, Places & Spaces, Transforming Everyday Objects, and Art & Society—to understand how artists have responded to the urgent issues of our time. You’ll hear from educators, curators, and other experts and go behind the scenes with interviews from world-class artists and designers to hear about their materials, processes, and sources of inspiration. Whether you're looking to broaden your cultural horizons or add a creative edge to your professional toolkit, join a diverse community of learners from around the world and start seeing the world through a new lens. Career Application: This course transforms the study of modern art into a professional toolkit for visual problem-solving and cultural analysis. By gaining fluency in thematic frameworks, you’ll develop the advanced critical thinking and lateral reasoning skills necessary to lead visual strategy in marketing, drive user-centric innovation in design, and navigate complex global perspectives in corporate communication.

Welcome to Modern Art & Ideas! In this course, you'll learn to see art through a new lens—one that focuses on themes that allow us to make connections between artworks and our own lives.

What's included

1 video5 readings1 assignment

1 videoTotal 1 minute
  • Introduction to Modern Art & Ideas1 minute
5 readingsTotal 50 minutes
  • Welcome to the Course!10 minutes
  • What is Modern Art?10 minutes
  • MoMA Resources10 minutes
  • Are You a K-12 educator ?10 minutes
  • Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection10 minutes
1 assignmentTotal 15 minutes
  • What theme are you excited to explore?15 minutes

In this module, you'll discover some of the ways artists have represented place and found inspiration in their surroundings.

What's included

7 videos6 readings

7 videosTotal 20 minutes
  • Places & Spaces5 minutes
  • Martin Wong. Stanton near Forsyth Street. 19832 minutes
  • Zarina. Home is a Foreign Place. 19992 minutes
  • Claude Monet. Water Lilies. 1914-262 minutes
  • Emeka Ogboh. Lagos State of Mind. 2017/20202 minutes
  • Teddy Cruz, Fonna Forman. Manufactured Sites: A Housing Urbanism Made of Waste/Maquiladora, project (Model, 2005). 2005-20083 minutes
  • Carolina Caycedo. Spirals for Shared Dreams. 20224 minutes
6 readingsTotal 70 minutes
  • Welcome to Module 210 minutes
  • How do artists choose to represent the world?20 minutes
  • How do artists capture the mood of a place?10 minutes
  • How do artists reimagine architecture?10 minutes
  • Optional Readings & Resources10 minutes
  • Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection10 minutes

Consider how artists create works of art to express, explore, and question identity.

What's included

7 videos7 readings

7 videosTotal 16 minutes
  • Art & Identity5 minutes
  • Henri Matisse. The Red Studio. 19112 minutes
  • Frida Kahlo. Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair. 19402 minutes
  • Catherine Opie. Being and Having. 19912 minutes
  • Amira Virgil. The Melanin Pack for The Sims 4. 20162 minutes
  • Lorna Simpson. Wigs (Portfolio). 19942 minutes
  • Kay WalkingStick. You're an Indian? 19951 minute
7 readingsTotal 75 minutes
  • Welcome to Module 310 minutes
  • How do artists represent their sense of self?20 minutes
  • How do artists represent others?10 minutes
  • How do artists challenge identity?10 minutes
  • Optional Readings & Resources10 minutes
  • Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection10 minutes
  • Optional Mid-Course Survey5 minutes

Discover how artists use everyday objects to challenge assumptions about what constitutes art and how it should be made. Explore a variety of artistic and design choices, and the creative acts of inventing and transforming everyday objects.

What's included

7 videos6 readings

7 videosTotal 18 minutes
  • Transforming Everyday Objects4 minutes
  • Ruth Asawa. Untitled (BMC. 145, BMC Laundry Stamp). c. 1948-492 minutes
  • Noah Purifoy. Unknown. 19673 minutes
  • Alfonso Ossorio. Empty Chair or The Last Colonial. 19692 minutes
  • Diamond Stingily. Entryways. 20212 minutes
  • Clara Porset. Butaque Chair. 19573 minutes
  • Tomás Gabzdil Libertiny. The Honeycomb Vase "Made by Bees" (Prototype). 20062 minutes
6 readingsTotal 70 minutes
  • Welcome to Module 410 minutes
  • How do artists draw from their surroundings?20 minutes
  • How do artists alter the meaning of objects?10 minutes
  • How do designers problem-solve?10 minutes
  • Optional Readings & Resources10 minutes
  • Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection10 minutes

Explore how artists create artworks in response to the social, cultural, and political issues of their time.

What's included

7 videos6 readings

7 videosTotal 20 minutes
  • Art & Society5 minutes
  • Dorothea Lange. Migrant Mother. 19362 minutes
  • Jacob Lawrence. Migration Series. 1940-412 minutes
  • Ernest Cole. Untitled. c. 19602 minutes
  • Martha Rosler. House Beautiful (Bringing the War Home). 1967-722 minutes
  • Hanes, Inc. White T-Shirt. 1910s3 minutes
  • Gilbert Baker. Rainbow Flag. 19784 minutes
6 readingsTotal 60 minutes
  • Welcome to Module 510 minutes
  • How do artists and designers respond to social conditions?10 minutes
  • How do artists challenge social conditions?10 minutes
  • How do artists and designers shift perspectives?10 minutes
  • Optional Readings & Resources10 minutes
  • Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection10 minutes

Reflect on your journey through Modern Art & Ideas and complete a final assessment.

What's included

3 readings

3 readingsTotal 25 minutes
  • Conclusion to Modern Art & Ideas10 minutes
  • Optional Course Completion Survey5 minutes
  • Optional Prompts for Discussion & Reflection10 minutes

Earn a career certificate

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Instructor

Instructor ratings
4.7 (1,393 ratings)
The Museum of Modern Art
4 Courses616,164 learners

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CP
·

Reviewed on Jun 4, 2020

I found it very interesting and challenging giving me deeper understanding of art as themes and why modern art was linked with the industrial revolution, media and relationship with its audience.

BB
·

Reviewed on Jun 28, 2020

Very much enjoyed this course, I learned a great deal about what is encompassed in modern art, what was going on in the artist's mind when doing their art pirce, and what is considered modern art.

RC
·

Reviewed on May 23, 2020

A very informative and interesting course, with a large variety of artwork and history. I could complete it without any time pressures, and I enjoyed the reflections at the end of each week.

Frequently asked questions

No prior knowledge of art or art history is required to complete this course. Whether you’re an artist, an art lover, an art skeptic, or just interested in learning more about art, this course has something for you.

Coursera currently provides certificates of completion, but MoMA does not offer additional accreditation at this time.

By learning how ideas are translated into visual culture, you’ll gain a premium skill set directly applicable to creative direction, marketing strategy, arts management, and interdisciplinary education.

In completing this course and the Modern and Contemporary Art and Design Specialization you will receive a shareable certificate from Coursera. There are optional prompts in the Modern Art & Ideas course that may spark your creativity, but the cumulative project for this course is not designed to build a tangible artistic portfolio.

While The Museum of Modern Art is based in New York City, Modern Art & Ideas features a range of artists from across the globe, not just those based in the United States. You’ll encounter cross-cultural dialogue that contextualizes modern visual culture on a global scale.

What materials you use and how you engage with the optional creative prompts is up to you! Most prompts can be completed using paper, a pencil or pen, and a phone’s camera.

The modular structure of this course allows you to pause, skip, or deep-dive into specific topics during busy weeks. Precise recommendations for a learning schedule can be found on the course page.

The discussion forums are active! You’ll find they are a great place to reflect on course topics, peer-to-peer. 

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Financial aid available,

¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.