Finders keepers: the New Museum brings together over 4,150 collected objects
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Stacks of over 300,000 drawings, assemblages of collected hair and debris, as well as meticulously hand-carved wooden figurines make up just a few of the items on display in the New Museum’s latest exhibition, 'The Keeper'. It's a show which effectively blends the boundaries between curating, creating, and collecting art.
Dedicated to the act of preserving and collecting, 'The Keeper' tells the stories of individuals through the objects they chose to safeguard. With more than 4,150 objects on display, the show marks the largest number of objects that have ever been on view for an exhibition in the museum’s 39-year history.
'This exhibition blurs the lines between artist and non-artist, professionals and amateurs,' says Massimiliano Gioni, who curated the exhibition alongside artistic director Edlis Neeson, and a curatorial team comprised of Natalie Bell, Helga Christoffersen, and Margot Norton.
'It’s an exhibition about collecting, saving and preserving artworks, artifacts, objects and images,' he continues. 'Through a series of portraits and case studies spanning the 20th century, the exhibition raises questions around notions of value and ownership.'
At the centerpiece of the exhibition is Partners (The Teddy Bear Project), a display of over 3,000 family-album photographs of teddy bears and their owners collected by Ydessa Hendeles. 'It looks at people through the trails of images that they left behind and, in doing so, I hope, invites us to engage more affectionately with the images that surround us every day,' says Gioni.
'This exhibition blurs the lines between artist and non-artist, professionals and amateurs,' says Massimiliano Gioni, who curated the exhibition. Pictured: a presentation by designer/artist Carol Bove responding to a series of Carlo Scarpa’s works from his exhibition 'Ambiente', at the 1968 Venice Biennale.
'The Keeper' tells the stories of individuals through the objects they chose to safeguard. Pictured: Levi Fisher Ames' intricate animal carvings, displayed in hinged shadow boxes that he crafted by hand.
The exhibition's showpiece is Ydessa Hendeles' Partners (The Teddy Bear Project), 2002 – an enormous trove of vernacular photographs collected according to one criterion: the presence of a teddy bear.
A series of colourful abstractions, imbued with alchemical and zodiacal symbolism, by Swedish painter Hilma af Klint. She produced over 1,000 such works over the course of her lifetime.
Another collection on display is 'The Houses of Peter Fritz', preserved by artist Oliver Croy and architecture critic Oliver Elser. The buildings were the creations of Austrian insurance clerk Peter Fritz
INFORMATION
’The Keeper’ is on view until 25 September. For more information, visit the New Museum’s website (opens in new tab)
ADDRESS
New Museum
235 Bowery
New York, NY 10002
VIEW GOOGLE MAPS (opens in new tab)
-
From darkness to everlasting light: all you need to know about the first Islamic Arts Biennale
Rebecca Anne Proctor travels to Jeddah to explore the world’s first Islamic Arts Biennale (until 23 April), a monumental survey of Islamic arts and culture in the religion’s birthplace, modern-day Saudi Arabia
By Rebecca Anne Proctor • Published
-
A Sydney adventure: discover art and architecture, design and dance
See the best Sydney architecture, design, craft, cuisine and more. Ahead of World Pride 2023, Wallpaper* Australia editor Elias Redstone offers an insider’s view to you plan your trip
By Elias Redstone • Published
-
Last chance to see: Theaster Gates’ ‘Young Lords and Their Traces’ at the New Museum
Theaster Gates talks about his first US museum show, ‘Young Lords and Their Traces’ at The New Museum (until 5 February 2023), a moving homage to the creative forces who came before
By Pei-Ru Keh • Published
-
Theaster Gates’ New Museum exhibition meditates on mourning, materials and community
Theaster Gates talks about his first US museum show, ‘Young Lords and Their Traces’ at The New Museum (until 5 February 2023), a moving homage to the creative forces who came before
By Pei-Ru Keh • Published
-
Royal College of Physicians Museum presents its archives in a glowing new light
London photography exhibition ‘Unfamiliar’, at the Royal College of Physicians Museum (23 January – 28 July 2023), presents clinical tools as you’ve never seen them before
By Martha Elliott • Published
-
New York art exhibitions: what to see this winter
Stay up-to-date with our ongoing guide to the best new and upcoming New York art exhibitions and events for your diary
By Tilly Macalister-Smith • Published
-
New York photography show sees cultural icons – from David Hockney to Maya Angelou – in unguarded moments
‘Face to Face’ at New York’s International Center of Photography (27 January – 1 May 2023) sees cultural icons shot by Tacita Dean, Brigitte Lacombe and Catherine Opie
By Martha Elliott • Published
-
Inez & Vinoodh on 35 years of radical photography, being ‘two brains, one person', and judging our Design Awards
Dutch photography duo and Wallpaper* Design Awards 2023 judges Inez & Vinoodh discuss image manipulation, design aspirations, and capturing the legendary Julianne Moore
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
Museum of Sex to open Miami outpost in spring 2023
The Museum of Sex will expand with a new Miami outpost in spring 2023, housed in a former warehouse reimagined by Snøhetta and inaugurated with an exhibition by Hajime Sorayama
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
Es Devlin’s illuminated choral sculpture in New York celebrates human connection
Es Devlin’s ‘Your Voices’ at Lincoln Center, commissioned by Moët & Chandon, is an ode to the 700 languages spoken in New York City
By TF Chan • Published
-
Hav & Mar restaurant is a new temple for Black arts and culture in New York
Hav & Mar, a new art-focused seafood restaurant in New York, is the brainchild of chef Marcus Samuelsson and artist Derrick Adams
By Pei-Ru Keh • Published