An Art Lover's Guide to New York City
The Best of New York's Art Museums & Galleries
New York City's art scene is world famous, and you can find art in unexpected places in addition to the popular and well-established art galleries and museums. Whether it's in a museum or on a city block, New York City's art scene is diverse, dynamic, and always growing. Artists flock here from all over the world to find their muse, and the world-renowned art museums of NYC house a massive and diverse collection of works from the U.S. and around the world. Make sure you visit the Guggenheim, the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney, the Frick Collection, and more. New York has so many art museums that you'll have a hard time visiting all of them in just one trip. I guess you'll have to come back soon. So let's get to it, here are the best places to experience the artwork in New York.Alice Austen House
Located in what was once the home of Alice Austen (1866 to 1952) this museum features about 8,000 photographs taken by this renowned photographer. The museum teaches visitors about her life's work and shows examples of her different styles of photography.
2 Hylan Blvd, Staten Island, NY, 10305
The Museum of Arts and Design
This museum features ceramics, furniture design, fiber art, and metalsmithing. It hosts a number of interesting shows from the contemporary art world, and its unique exhibits make it well worth a visit.
2 Columbus Cir, New York, NY, 10019
New York City has plenty more to offer, so see also our other articles: The Best Family-Friendly Activities in Queens and The Best Family-Friendly Activities on Staten Island.
The Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art
This museum was built in the style of a hillside Tibetan monastery. It maintains the largest private collection of Tibetan art in the country, and the complex offers a peaceful and beautiful setting where you can explore, sit bay the goldfish pond, or look out at the water. There are often Sunday programs and shows with music, dance, and art, that are perfect for families.
338 Lighthouse Ave, Staten Island, NY, 10306
Queens Museum
The most impressive exhibit at this museum is The Panorama of the City of York, which is an almost 10,000 square foot scale model of the city and its five boroughs. The museum is housed on the grounds of two World's Fairs, and it continues to grow in size and popularity.
New York City Building, Meridian Rd, Queens, NY, 11368
Studio Museum in Harlem
This museum opened in 1968 as the first African American fine arts museum in the country. It continues to feature contemporary African American artists that are locally and nationally recognized.
144 W 125th St, New York, NY, 10027
The Bronx Museum of the Arts
This multicultural art museum has more than 1000 pieces of work that highlight 20th and 21st century artists who were either based in the Bronx or of African, Asian or Latino ancestry.
1040 Grand Concourse, New York, NY, 10456
Neue Galerie New York
This beautiful museum features late 19th and early 20th century German and Austrian fine and decorative arts. This museum has the largest collection of work by Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele outside of Vienna. You can also head to Cafe Sabarsky, which serves Austrian cuisine and Viennese pastries.
1048 5th Ave, New York, NY, 10028
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1071 5th Ave, Upper East Side, New York, NY, 10128
Planning a trip to New York City? You might also be interested in Where to See the Sunset & Sunrise in New York City and A History Lover's Guide to New York City.
MoMA PS1
This international studio program is located in a Romanesque Revival building that once served as a public school. The building is filled with artwork and features work by international artists from around the globe.
22-25 Jackson Ave, Queens, NY, NY 11101
American Folk Art Museum
The American Folk Art Museum features craft-based work from self-taught artists. There are quilts, early American portrait paintings, as well as performances and discussions that are open to the public.
2 Lincoln Square, New York, NY, 10023
The Brooklyn Museum
This low key museum doesn't see the crowds that are found at some of Manhattan's bigger name museums. It's collection is still impressive though with more than 1.5 million pieces that include Egyptian art, early American art, and much more. The museum is also the third largest in New York City when measured by size.
200 Eastern Pkwy , Brooklyn, NY, 11238
El Museo del Barrio
This museum is located in the Spanish Harlem and features work by Latino artists. The permanent collection includes 6,500 pieces that range from pre-Colombian artifacts to contemporary installations.
1230 5th Ave, New York, NY, 10029
The Rubin Museum of Art
This art museum houses the personal collection of Donald and Shelley Rubin, which includes Himalayan art and artifacts. There are also large temporary exhibits.
150 W 17th St, New York, NY, 10011
The Asia Society
The Asia Society headquarters houses a number of galleries with art exhibits ranging from ancient India to medieval Persia, to contemporary Japan. The works combine public and private collections to create a large and impressive gallery of Asian art and culture.
725 Park Ave, New York, NY, 10021
If you're looking for more information about New York City, read The Best Art Museums in New York City.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 5th Ave, New York, NY, 10028
The Cloisters
The Cloisters is located in a park by the Hudson Rivers and you can reach it by following a charming path that leads to a castle. This is where you'll find the Met's medieval art and architecture collections. Popular exhibits include the Unicorn Tapestries, the 12th century Fuentidueña Chapel and the Annunciation Triptych by Robert Campin.
99 Margaret Corbin Drive, New York, NY, 10040
The Jewish Museum
The Jewish Museum is located in the 1908 Warburg Mansion and it runs a number of temporary exhibits that feature contemporary and modern art.
1109 5th Ave, New York, NY, 10128
Whitney Museum of American Art
This impressive museum relocated in 2015 to the Meatpacking District in Lower Manhattan. It sits at the edge of High Line and has more than 63,000 square feet of space that includes both indoor and outdoor settings. The collection has about 15,000 pieces that represent works from more than 2,000 artists including Alexander Calder, Willem de Kooning, Edward Hopper, and Georgia O'Keeffe.
99 Gansevoort St., Meatpacking District, New York, NY, 10014
The Morgan Library & Museum
This institution began as the private library of J. Pierpont Morgan and it was donated to the city. It includes drawings by Michelangelo, Rembrandt, and Picasso. There are three Gutenberg Bibles, and a copy of Frankenstein annotated by Mary Shelley, as well as manuscripts by Dickens, Poe, Twain, Steinbeck, and Wilde. There's also sheet music handwritten by Beethoven and Mozart.
225 Madison Ave, New York, NY, 10016
The Noguchi Museum
This museum was opened by Isamu Noguchi in Queens in 1985. The museum is designed as a meditative oasis and includes 12 galleries and a garden with sculptures done by Noguchi. There are also architectural models, and stage and furniture designs on display.
9-01 33rd Rd, Queens, NY, 11106
The Museum at FIT
The Fashion Institute of Technology has its own museum, which houses one of the largest collections of clothing, textiles, and accessories in the world. There are more than 50,000 costumes and fabric from time periods ranging from the 5th century to present day, with a portion of this collection on permanent display.
227 W 27th St, New York, NY, 10001
The Frick Collection
Located in the early 1900s mansion of Henry Clay Frick, this museum houses artwork by Monet, Rembrandt, Bellini, El Greco, and many more. There's also a covered garden with tropical plants and pond.
1 East 70th Street, NYC, New York, 10021
Terrain Gallery
This gallery was founded on the philosophic basis: the ideas of Aesthetic Realism and the Siegel Theory of Opposites.
141 Greene Street, NYC, New York, 10012
Ward-Nasse Gallery
This gallery highlights, visual, spoken, and performing artists.
178 Prince Street, NYC, New York, 10012
Bethesda Terrace & Fountain
Central Park, NYC, New York
New Museum of Contemporary Art
This museum is dedicated to featuring contemporary art from around the world.
235 Bowery, NYC, New York, 10002
How much does it cost?
Prices for activities, things to do, and tours range from $8 to $519. The average cost for a tour or tickets is $107. A few of the best options are below.
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