Museum of Biblical Art

The Museum of Biblical Art is a small museum with a large mandate: To better understand how the narratives and symbols of the Bible have influenced the history of art and visual culture. MOBIA considers the religious as well as the aesthetic and historic significance of objects created in the Jewish and Christian traditions. Its reach extends from high art to the vernacular, and from contemporary work to functional objects created thousands of years ago.

MOBIA grew out of the work of The Gallery at the American Bible Society, which was established in 1998 as New York’s only exhibition space dedicated solely to art inspired by the Bible. The Gallery’s exhibitions ranged from the history of the Holy Land to 20th-century Guatemalan and Peruvian folk art; from Romanov icons to contemporary Biblical art; and from medieval and Renaissance sculpture to African-American quilts. In its six years of operation, The Gallery became a nationally recognized leader in the presentation and scholarly interpretation of Biblical art.

In 2004, the American Bible Society’s Board of Trustees voted to enhance The Gallery’s reach and impact by expanding its vision through the creation of the Museum of Biblical Art, an independently chartered 501(c)(3) educational institution. As a demonstration of its confidence in MOBIA’s future, ABS has entered into a partnership agreement with MOBIA whereby funding from the Bible Society will provide a major portion of MOBIA’s operational overhead for five years, allowing the Museum to grow toward full fiscal independence. The commitment by ABS to confer independence on, and nurture, MOBIA is unusual in that few institutions with a proven program are willing to allow that program to stand on its own as an independent entity.

Today, as did The Gallery, the Museum of Biblical Art puts religion front and center in its scholarly approach to the works it exhibits and interprets. Yet, as an educational institution, MOBIA takes no position on religion. Its intent is to serve as a neutral ground where visitors can learn about the function and meaning of the works it shows and as a forum for a dialogue concerning today’s intersection of art, religion, and society.