In May 2016, a young man placed a pair of glasses on the ground of the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. Instead of walking by, dozens of people gathered around the irrelevant object to take photos and converse about its meaning.
Though comedic, this experiment shows just how much the definition of art has changed throughout recent years. While art has historically been characterized by its aesthetic qualities, the movement towards postmodernism has put the focus directly on a work’s ideological implications. Art doesn’t need to be beautiful in the traditional sense; it needs to elicit an emotional or mental response.
To get your dose of modern art, here’s our list of the coolest museums to find thought-provoking pieces: