The Museum of Modern Art Available on IPhone

Modern art aficionados who are not able to venture into New York City can now connect digitally to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for a virtual tour of the museum. iPhone and iTouch users can download a free app from the App Store that provides instant access to images of 32,000 paintings, sculptures and other works from the museum's extensive collection of contemporary and modern art. Other material available via this app include information about exhibitions, events, and film screenings; artists bios, a dictionary of art terms, a range of free audio tours geared for those with a range of interest and ages; and general museum information such as hours of operation and directions.

Those who are able to visit the museum in person will be able to savor the full digital experience now offered by the museum. MoMA Snaps enables visitors to take photos while inside the museum and email them as postcards creating a virtual tour that can be shared with others. Also, with MoMA Tracks, visitors can choose tracks from their own music libraries that they can listen to while they wander around the artwork thus creating their own multimedia experience.

An internet connection is needed order to use the MoMA App, which will soon incorporate MoMA's new mobile site that will be available for the iPhone/iPod Touch and Android. While WI-Fi is available throughout the museum, the signals could be weaker in Café 2, in the elevators and around escalators, and in the outdoor Sculpture Garden. Those without these smartphones can can access interactive kiosks located throughout the museum.

Also, iPhone and iTouch users can download from the App Store MoMA's first ebook, Vincent van Gogh: The Starry Night. This educational app which costs $4.99 conveys the story behind one of the museum's most treasured works. Art historian Richard Thomson provides the text that accompanies over 30 full-color, high-resolution illustrations that include more than a dozen of Van Gogh's works of art, as well as pieces by other artists who were influenced by this master.

To download the MoMA iPhone/iTouch App to go www.moma.org/iphoneapp. A version of this app for the Android will be released shortly though Android users can access MoMA's WI-Fi connection when they visit the museum.

Those who aren't connected to an iPhone, iTouch or an Android smartphone can still download free audio programs (http://bit.ly/TJyb7). Other interactive modes of connecting include the MoMA Channel on iTunes, the MoMA and MoMA PS1 blog, the MoMA Facebook page and MoMA's Twitter feed. Log on to http://bit.ly/1GNYZc to get connected.