OUR MISSION
The Museum of Mortal “MOMB” beauty explores humanity’s enduring relationship with life, death, and the unknown through art and material culture spanning centuries and cultures.
Bringing together two extraordinary collections of fine art and historical objects from across the globe, the Museum of Mortal Beauty explores how artists, cultures, and societies have confronted one of humanity’s oldest and most enduring subjects: death.
Spanning centuries and continents, the collection moves from ancient artifacts and religious objects to rare historical works and contemporary art, revealing the many ways mortality has been understood—as warning and ritual, mystery and remembrance, celebration and mourning.
2,500
THE COLLECTION
Over 2,500 objects and works of art
Curated by collector and artist Ryan Matthew Cohn, the Museum brings together over 2500 objects and art from his private cabinets with works from the collection of the late antique print dealer and renowned collector Richard Harris (1937–2023), alongside contemporary artists whose work engages with death, memory, impermanence, and the memento mori tradition.
Ryan Matthew Cohn
Collector, artist and curator
Richard Harris (1937–2023)
Antique print dealer and collector
Contemporary artists
Death, memory, impermanence
No two objects offer quite the same answer to the questions mortality presents. Some confront death directly. Others seek to understand it, commemorate it, transcend it, or find meaning in its inevitability. Together, they reveal a fascination that has persisted across civilizations and generations: our desire to understand what it means to be alive in the shadow of an inevitable end.
“What it means to be alive in the shadow of an inevitable end.”
For the first time, these collections will be presented together as a place of discovery, scholarship, reflection, and dialogue. Visitors will encounter objects that span cultures, belief systems, and artistic traditions—inviting them to look backward into history while asking deeply personal questions about the present.
The Museum of Mortal Beauty is slated to open in early 2027 bringing a one-of-a-kind educational and artistic institution to the City of Bridgeport. At the intersection of history, science, art, culture, and human curiosity, the Museum offers an experience unlike any other: an opportunity to examine mortality not merely as an ending, but as a force that has shaped how humanity creates, believes, remembers, and lives.
EVENTS AND PROGRAMS
Beyond its exhibitions,
the Museum of Mortal Beauty will serve as a distinctive setting for private and corporate gatherings, cultural activations, educational programs, and special events. Designed to foster curiosity and conversation, the Museum will offer an unconventional backdrop for experiences that invite guests to engage with art, history, science, and the enduring themes explored throughout the collection.