What Happened to The Artist Is Present?
“The Artist Is Present” was a groundbreaking 2010 performance art piece by Marina Abramović at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, where she sat silently for 736 hours and 30 minutes, engaging in silent eye contact with individual visitors. The work became a cultural phenomenon, bringing performance art to a wider audience and solidifying Abramović's status as a pioneer. Its legacy continues to influence contemporary art, with Abramović herself remaining highly active with major exhibitions and new immersive works globally in 2026.
Quick Answer
“The Artist Is Present” was a seminal 2010 performance by Marina Abramović at MoMA, where she sat silently for nearly three months, inviting visitors to share a moment of eye contact. The piece garnered immense public attention and a documentary film, cementing its place in art history. As of August 2026, Marina Abramović continues to be a highly active and influential artist, with multiple major exhibitions and projects worldwide, including 'Transforming Energy' at the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice and 'Balkan Erotic Epic' in Berlin and New York, further exploring themes of presence, energy, and ritual.
📊Key Facts
📅Complete Timeline14 events
Marina Abramović Born
Marina Abramović, the creator of 'The Artist Is Present,' is born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia).
Pioneering Performance Art
Abramović begins her career in Belgrade, pioneering performance art and using her body as both subject and medium to explore physical and mental limits.
Collaboration with Ulay Begins
Abramović begins a significant collaborative period with German artist Ulay (Uwe Laysiepen), exploring duality and relationships through performance.
The Lovers (The Great Wall Walk)
Abramović and Ulay conclude their artistic and personal relationship with a performance where they walked the Great Wall of China from opposite ends to meet in the middle.
“The Artist Is Present” Opens at MoMA
Marina Abramović's seminal performance art piece, 'The Artist Is Present,' opens as part of her retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. She sits silently, inviting visitors to engage in eye contact.
“The Artist Is Present” Concludes
The 736-hour, 30-minute performance concludes, having attracted widespread attention and emotional responses from participants and the public.
Documentary Film Release
The documentary film 'Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present' is released, chronicling the performance and Abramović's career, further popularizing the work.
Marina Abramović Institute (MAI) Founded
Abramović establishes the Marina Abramović Institute (MAI) to preserve and promote performance art, focusing on long durational work and the Abramović Method.
Retrospective at Albertina Modern
A major retrospective of Marina Abramović's work opens at the Albertina Modern in Vienna, Austria, featuring reenactments of historical performances, running through March 1, 2026.
“THE BUS” at World Economic Forum
Abramović unveils 'THE BUS,' an immersive installation at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, designed for stillness and inner journey, which will later travel to Zürich.
“Balkan Erotic Epic” Exhibition Opens in Berlin
The exhibition 'Marina Abramović: Balkan Erotic Epic' opens at Gropius Bau in Berlin, tracing her engagement with ritual, eroticism, and the body, running until August 23, 2026.
“Transforming Energy” Opens in Venice
Marina Abramović becomes the first living woman artist to have a major exhibition, 'Transforming Energy,' at the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice, coinciding with her 80th birthday and the 61st Venice Biennale.
New Work for New York's Balloon Museum
Marina Abramović is reported to be creating an 'alien inflatable landscape' for an exhibition at New York's Balloon Museum, showcasing her continued exploration of new artistic forms.
“Balkan Erotic Epic” Opens in New York
Marina Abramović's 'Balkan Erotic Epic' will have its North American premiere at the Park Avenue Armory in New York, running until December 20, 2026, marking her return to a major New York presentation after over a decade.
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🔍Deep Dive Analysis
“The Artist Is Present” was a durational performance art piece conceived and performed by Marina Abramović at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City from March 14 to May 31, 2010. For 736 hours and 30 minutes over three months, Abramović sat motionless at a wooden table in the museum's atrium, inviting museum visitors to take turns sitting opposite her and engaging in silent eye contact for a duration of their choosing.
The performance was a central component of Abramović's major retrospective at MoMA, which also featured re-performances of her earlier works by other artists. The piece aimed to explore themes of presence, vulnerability, energy exchange, and the relationship between artist and audience. It gained widespread media attention, attracting thousands of visitors, with many waiting in long lines for the opportunity to sit with the artist. The emotional responses from participants, some moved to tears, became a significant aspect of the work's impact.
A key turning point in its public reception was the surprise appearance of Abramović's former long-term collaborator and partner, Ulay, during the opening night. Their emotional reunion, captured on video, went viral and further amplified the performance's cultural resonance. The success of “The Artist Is Present” was instrumental in bringing performance art into the mainstream and validating its place within institutional museum settings, challenging traditional notions of art as a tangible object.
The legacy of “The Artist Is Present” extends beyond its initial staging. It was chronicled in the critically acclaimed 2012 documentary film, also titled “Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present,” which further popularized the artist and the genre. The performance established a model for 'reperformance' as a means of preserving ephemeral art, influencing how museums approach performance art.
As of August 2026, Marina Abramović, often referred to as the 'grandmother of performance art,' remains incredibly active and continues to push boundaries. In 2026, she is the subject of several major exhibitions globally. Notably, 'Marina Abramović: Transforming Energy' is running from May 6 to October 19, 2026, at the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice, marking her as the first living woman artist to have a major solo exhibition there. This exhibition, coinciding with her 80th birthday and the 61st Venice Biennale, features interactive 'Transitory Objects' and a re-performance of her 1977 work Imponderabilia. Additionally, her 'Balkan Erotic Epic' exhibition is at Gropius Bau in Berlin from April to August 2026, with a stage version opening in October 2026, and a major production at Park Avenue Armory in New York in December 2026. In January 2026, she unveiled 'THE BUS,' an immersive installation at the World Economic Forum in Davos, designed to encourage stillness and connection with the present moment, which is set to travel to Zürich. She is also creating an inflatable art landscape for New York's Balloon Museum in August 2026. These recent projects demonstrate her ongoing commitment to engaging audiences directly and exploring the transformative power of art and presence.
What If...?
Explore alternate histories. What if The Artist Is Present made different choices?