The building, designed by Aspen architect Herbert Bayer, underwent a major renovation by O'Neil Ford and Associates and reopened in 1974. With the opening of the Amon Carter Museum in 1961 and the Kimbell Art Museum in 1972, the Modern, which was then named the Fort Worth Art Museum, began to focus on modern and contemporary American and European art. The collection is strongest in American art of the 1960s and 70s. It also contains a core group of abstract expressionist canvases and 31 works by Robert Motherwell, including ten paintings and seven collages given in 1993 by the Dedalus Foundation, which was established at the time of the artist's death. Recent acquisitions to the Modern's extensive collection of painting include works by Gerhard Richter, Anselm Kiefer, Philip Guston, Georg Baselitz and Susan Rothenberg.
Contemporary sculpture is on view year round on the museum grounds.
Works by Deborah Butterfield, George Segal, Antony Gormley and Tony Cragg are featured. The Modern's collection of international contemporary photography features works by Cindy Sherman, William Wegman, Andre Serrano, Carrie Mae Weems, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Sophie Calle, Hamish Fulton and Cragie Horsfield, and video work by Bill Viola. A new facility for the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, will open in Fort Worth's celebrated Cultural District in 2002. Ths site is a 10.96 acre parcel of land located directly opposite the Kimbell Art Museum. Architectural models will be displayed alongside drawings composed by Mr. Ando and his associates.