“The aim of MUMOK is to preserve, enlarge, analyze, and make available to the public the collection of artworks from the 20th and 21st centuries, compiled since the opening of the Museum of 20th Century Art, by applying state-of-the-art scientific and museological methods. The Museum serves as collection site, archive, research institution, and exhibition venue.

A key concern is the debate on contemporary art. For this reason the Museum organizes events and discussions designed to raise awareness for new and experimental art, as well as to convey information on recent art history and theory. MUMOK’s commitment to both history and present and its museological, scientific and educational mission demands its profound engagement in the collection, research and communication of international artworks of modernism, the recent past, and the present.
With its emphasis on Pop Art and Photorealism, taken from the Austrian Ludwig Foundation, Fluxus and Nouveau Réalisme, taken from the Hahn Collection, and Viennese Actionism, MUMOK offers a unique blend of art focusing on society and reality as well as of performative art of the 20th century.

As the largest Austrian museum for international modern and contemporary art, MUMOK promotes the museological integration of Austrian art and art discourse into an international context and simultaneously conveys internationality within its local environment. MUMOK communicates the social relevance of art by illustrating the changes in art perception and their causes, both historical and contemporary. With reference to the present, MUMOK participates in the socio-political discourse and opposes tendencies which challenge the freedom of art and cultural policy." [MUMOK, 2011]

The “Museum Moderne Kunst” [Museum Modern Art] is also known as “Palais Liechtenstein”.