MOMA partnered with Van Gogh Barbie, Monet and Dali characters

The Museum of Modern Art in New York has announced a multi-year partnership with Toy Company Mattel Inc.
As part of the partnership, MOMA will release the capsule collection on November 11, just in the holiday season. It has seven products inspired by artists and artworks from the museum’s permanent collection, which will be sold on the Moma’s Design store in New York and Japan, as well as the Design Store’s website and Mattel Creations website.
These products include a Barbie doll wearing evening gowns with Vincent van Gogh starry night (1889); A magic eight ball with approximate details. 1968 Alma Woodsey Thomas abstraction; two hot-wheel replicas of two cars from the Museum Design Holdings, the Jaguar E-style convertible and the Citroen DS 23 sedan; small statues of Salvador Dalí and Claude Monet by the villain collector; and a UNO deck containing six works from the MoMA series, including works by Van Gogh, Monet and Matisse.
The partnership will also see Mattel funding to support MOMA’s Samuel and Ronnie Heyman Family Art Lab, an interactive space for children and families on the first floor of the museum.
Nick Karamanos, senior vice president of Mattel Entertainment Partnerships, said in a statement that the company is currently reimagining its brand, which also includes Fisher Price, American Girl, Thomas & Friends and Barney, “as a collection, design leader experience. Fans for years to come.”
Jesse Goldstine, chief retail officer of MOMA, added: “By joining together with Mattel creations, we invite a new generation of audiences to experience the museum’s collection in a way that combines contemporary art with creative gaming and design innovations and let them spend time with art in new and interactive ways.”
Please see the details of each capsule collection project below.
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Barbie Doll X Vincent van Gogh
Image source: Courteous Mattel and MOMA
This Barbie doll is wearing a Vincent van Gogh-inspired gown starry night (1889), the museum was acquired in 1941 through the bequest of Lillie P. Bliss. It is currently enjoyed in the 501 gallery on the fifth floor of MOMA.
Courteous Mattel and MOMA
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Little People Collector™X Claude Monet
Image source: Courteous Mattel and MOMA
The collector figurines of these two villains were inspired by the Impressionist painter Claude Monet, who is known for his full beard. One of them wore costumes inspired by his famous “Water Lily”. Behind them is Monet’s nearly 42 feet long Water lily (1914-26), purchased by the museum in 1959. It is in a specially designed room on the fifth floor, a specially designed room on the 515th floor.
Courteous Mattel and MOMA
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Little People Collector™X SalvadorDalí
Image source: Courteous Mattel and MOMA
The collector figurines of the two villains were inspired by the surreal painter Salvador Dalí, who is known for his curly black beard. One of them was wearing a costume inspired by his famous paintings The persistence of memory (1931), the museum was acquired through anonymous gifts in 1934. It is currently enjoyed in the 522 gallery on the fifth floor.
Courteous Mattel and MOMA
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UNO® Canvas X MOMA
Image source: Courteous Mattel and MOMA
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Magic 8Ball®X Alma Woodsey Thomas
Image source: Courteous Mattel and MOMA
This Magic 8 Ball, which includes phrases like “Color Is Life!”, is inspired by the untitled (circa 1968) by Alma Woodsey Thomas, an abstract work on paper acquired by MOMA in 2015 through the gift of the late collector Donald B. Marron. The work has not been seen yet; the only thing it has on display is in 2017 as part of the exhibition “Make Space: Female Artists and Post-War Abstraction.”
Courteous Mattel and MOMA
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HotWheels®X Citroen DS 23 sedan
Image source: Courteous Mattel and MOMA
This hot-wheel copy was inspired by the Citroen DS 23 sedan designed between 1954 and 1967. The MOMA version was from 1973 and was acquired in 2018 for its architecture and design department. It is not yet appreciated and ends with the museum’s sculpture garden as part of the 2021 exhibition “Automania”.
Courteous Mattel and MOMA
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HotWheels®X Jaguar E-Sports Car
Image source: Courteous Mattel and MOMA
This hot wheel copy was inspired by the Jaguar E-shaped Roadster designed in 1961. The Moma version started in 1963. The museum was acquired as a gift for Jaguar Cars in 1996 and was last exhibited in the 2021 exhibition “Automania”.
Courteous Mattel and MOMA