MOMA is the abbreviation for New York’s renowned Museum of Modern Art. The collections here are some of the world’s top and finest selections both in terms of quantity and quality. Perhaps only the Musée d’Orsay of Paris can be comparable. Most people come to New York’s MOMA for “The Starry Night” by Van Gogh. This for me is also my favorite work from Van Gogh. The melancholy and passion we see here is unforgettable. In 1889, Van Gogh’s mental illness struck him again. After an intense argument with Gauguin, he cut off one of his ears, wrapped it in a handkerchief and gave it as a gift to a prostitute. After that, he was sent to the Saint-Paul Asylum in Saint-Rémy. He ended up staying there for 1 year and 8 days. There, he continued to offer creative work, completing some 150 oil paintings and 100 sketches. His drawings now are completely leaning toward Expressionism. In his paintings, painted strokes much like waves in the sea and balls of fire are filled with a deep sense of melancholy and his tragic illusions. The oil painting “The Starry Night” is representative of this period in his life. Other than the best of Van Gogh, here you’ll also find the best of Picasso. This incredible work, entitled “Les Demoiselles d'Avignon” is not only indicative of a great turning point in Picasso’s personal art career, it is a revolutionary breakthrough in contemporary Western art, which has led to the rise of cubism.