Don’t get me wrong, my favorite art in the scope of art history is still Baroque (particularly architecture) and Neoclassicism (particularly paintings), but there is something about contemporary art that just hits different. Contemporary art is, after all, by definition more relevant to the context of the present, and at times the future. It tends to be more interactive, more thought provoking (at least in the sense that you will often question the boundaries of art).

And maybe because you’re less focused on the history and the larger than life impact of each work, you get to look at things at face value, never truly knowing whether you are looking at something that will be studied and admired for generations to come or something that will fade away into the museum archives.

Contemporary art museums are fun because they are predictably provocative. You can expect them to deliver on the unexpected, challenging what you know to be art and sometimes, when done well, what you know to be culture and society and identity. It may seem like a series of photo-ops, but beneath the surface level is consecrated (though often contested) value. And while many of the names are lesser known than the Van Goghs or Da Vincis or Rembrants of the world, their stories are probably more relevant to a museum-goer’s life experience and their impact more powerful to a museum-goer’s perspective. Not to mention the art, artists, mediums, themes, are more diverse.