How has the Brooklyn Museum’s 200-year-long story unfolded? How can we pay homage to the art and design created in Brooklyn? Where do these histories intersect within our encyclopedic collection, and what colorful characters might we meet along the way?
From groundbreaking early acquisitions to striking new additions, the Museum’s collection has always championed artists and artworks that catalyze imaginative storytelling and brave conversations. As we ring in our 200th anniversary, Breaking the Mold: Brooklyn Museum at 200 celebrates this unique legacy. Comprising three chapters that boast both longtime favorites and brand-new standouts, the exhibition brings fresh narratives to the fore while exploring the collection’s rich history and future evolution.
Think of it as a Best of the Brooklyn Museum mixtape. We made it special, just for you. Even better: it’s included in general admission.
When you join as a Brooklyn Museum Member, you become part of our rich history—and help shape the next 200 years!
Along with a community of fellow art lovers, Members enjoy:
- Free admission, including to special exhibitions
- Exclusive invitations to Members-only previews and programs
- 40% off ticketed programs, like Brooklyn Talks and Yoga on the Stoop
- 20% off their first purchase in the Shop (and 10% off thereafter!)
- Free dessert in the Brooklyn Museum Café with any purchase from the Mains menu
From the top: Georgia O’Keeffe. Brooklyn Bridge, 1949. Oil on Masonite. Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Mary Childs Draper, 77.11. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Francis L. V. Hoppin. McKim, Mead & White’s Design for the Brooklyn Museum, 1893. Watercolor, pen, and ink on paper. Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Collection, X737. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Tony Velez. Parachute Jump with Sophia Velez, April 1990/Coney Island, Brooklyn Hist. Project, 1990. Gelatin silver print. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Victor H. Kempster, 1991. 306.12. © Tony Velez. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Jenna Gribbon. Big Peek, 2022. Oil on linen. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Jonathan and Debbie Rosen, 2023. 30. © Jenna Gribbon. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Hoisting the statue Brooklyn by Daniel Chester French, 1964. Brooklyn Museum Libraries and Archives. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Breaking the Mold: Brooklyn Museum at 200 is organized by Meghan Bill, Coordinator of Provenance; Abigail Dansiger, Director of Libraries and Archives; Catherine Futter, Director of Curatorial Affairs and Senior Curator of Decorative Arts; Liz St. George, Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts; and Pauline Vermare, Phillip and Edith Leonian Curator of Photography; with Kimberli Gant, Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art; Carmen Hermo, former Associate Curator, Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art; Michael Gibson-Prugh, Curatorial Assistant, Arts of the Americas and Europe, and Imani Williford, Curatorial Assistant, Photography, Fashion, and Material Culture.
Thank you to the Curatorial Division for their collaboration on the development of Breaking the Mold: Brooklyn Museum at 200.
Significant support is provided by the Hooper Family—Dana Hooper and Alicia Swanson; John P. and Rebecca Hooper Cavanaugh; Gary W. and Abigail Hooper Conrad; and E. Bickford and Virginia Hooper Hooper—in honor of their late ancestor Professor Franklin William Hooper, who served as Director of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences (1891–1913) and the Brooklyn Museum (1897–1913).
200th anniversary support is provided by Amtrak
