The prodigious Icelandic musical phenomenon Björk is the most avant-garde popular artist of her time, the creative force behind extraordinary music videos and also one of the most instinctive of talents. So she probably should have trusted her first response — No thanks — when the Museum of Modern Art came calling.

Evidently, the museum first floated the idea of an exhibition of her work in 2000 and she finally said yes in 2012. Three years later, a scant, cramped overview, which opens on Sunday, has been jammed into a tacky little two-story pavilion specially built in the Modern’s atrium.

Image The show draws from more than 20 years of her projects, including her eight full-length albums. Credit... Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

Björk should have said no — not because her work isn’t museum-worthy but because, as proved here, the Modern is not up to the task. The show is billed as a “midcareer survey,” but its disappointing catalog indicates little of the research, documentation or context setting that such projects usually entail, and the exhibition hasn’t been allotted much more gallery space than one of the museum’s “projects series” showing work by emerging artists. Given the number of Björk fans it will probably attract, the show’s future as a logistical nightmare seems clear. It was already indicated at the preview on Tuesday night.