Museum of Biblical Art Fact Sheet

Located in midtown Manhattan, the Museum of Biblical Art (MOBIA) opened in May 2005 as the only scholarly museum in the U.S. celebrating the role of the Bible in literature and art.

Because the Bible's impact is far-reaching and has profoundly influenced the history of art, MOBIA, unlike many museums, examines art through the lens of religion, carefully explaining the original context in order to illuminate biblical themes, imagery, symbolism, ritual and history. Through exhibitions, education and scholarship, MOBIA aims to commemorate and interpret art related to the Bible and its cultural legacy in Jewish and Christian traditions.

MOBIA is also home to more than 2,000 rare books and artifacts on long-term loan from American Bible Society, including a 1611 first-edition King James Bible, a 1612 Bible with Apocrypha, Helen Keller's braille Bible and a Hebrew Bible dating back to 1524-25. This collection, one of the largest of its kind in the Western hemisphere, tracks the history of translation, book printing, binding conservation and illustration while demonstrating the cultural impact of the Bible over time.

Since its opening, MOBIA has presented more than 20 art exhibitions ranging in scope from "outsider" art of the American South to the work of Marc Chagall, Albrecht Dürer and Georges Rouault. It has offered more than 350 workshops, concerts, film screenings, hands-on art sessions, guided tours and engaging seminars for adults and children of all ages and educational levels.

Through programs such as free summer workshops, MOBIA brings creative arts to at-risk youth in New York and serves local schools the Children's Aid Society, the New York City Parks Department, Harlem Children's Zone and many other organizations in its community.

For information about current and upcoming events at MOBIA, visit MOBIA.org.

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