New York City is the most populated city in the United States, the city that never sleeps, the “Big Apple” and, most important, the backbone of global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, entertainment, technology and education. NYC is placed on one of the world’s largest natural harbors, and consists of five boroughs, each of which comprises a state county. The five boroughs – The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island – were united into a single city in 1898. There are many landmarks to look for if you choose to visit this amazing city, such as Times Square, world renowned bridges (Brooklyn Bridge – which, by the way, holds the title “oldest suspension bridge”, Manhattan Bridge, Washington Bridge, and so on), its famous skyscrapers, breathtaking parks, and art museums. The city’s history is most impressive, and our article is going to cover ten NYC art museums that you must see.
10. Brooklyn Museum and Brooklyn Botanic Garden
The Brooklyn Museum is one of the oldest and biggest art museums in the country. It hosts world-renowned permanent collections from cultures around the world, from pieces dating back to ancient times to the most contemporary works. Dynamic exhibitions are to be found in the the museum’s halls, including displays like “Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera” and “Body Parts: Ancient Egyptian Fragments and Amulets.” Walk outside the museum and you can see the amazing Brooklyn Botanic Garden, home to 52-acres of botanical treasures.
9. Museum of Jewish Heritage
Designed by Roche Dinkeloo, the Museum of Jewish Heritage is a vivid memorial to those who perished during the Holocaust. A collection of over 25.000 items about modern Jewish history and the Holocaust is to be found between the walls of the museum. The Core Exhibition unfolds the story of 20th and 21st century Jewish life. The collection includes artifacts, photographs, and documentary films, while the Core Exhibition places the Holocaust in a larger context of modern Jewish history; it is organized into three chronological sections: Jewish Life A Century Ago; The War Against the Jews; and Jewish Renewal – each located on separate floors.
8. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Commonly known as The Met, this museum is a “must see” for anyone taking a trip to NYC. The museum’s 2 million-piece art collection from around the world is ready to fulfill anyone’s taste for art; it hosts unique niche collections like The Costume Institute, Musical Instruments, and Arms & Armor. You can easily find exactly what you’re looking for with temporary exhibitions like “Guitar Heroes: Legendary Craftsmen from Italy to New York” or “Anthony Caro on the Roof.” You can also check out The Cloisters, a branch of the Met devoted to the architecture and art of medieval Europe.
7. Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum
The centerpiece of the museum is the USS Intrepid. The museum holds 30 restored aircraft, a submarine, and a British Airways Concorde Jet. You can explore the top-secret missile command center, torpedo rooms, the attack center, and even the crew’s mess hall. Also worth seeing is the Intrepid’s high-tech simulators where you can experience what it’s like to be a jet plane pilot or journey through outer space.
6. Guggenheim Museum
Our number six out of ten NYC art museums is probably the most unique art museum in New York. A strong-enough reason to visit is to see the building itself (it was designed by famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright). The museum is an art haven for any art lover, holding works from world-renowned artists like Cézanne, Gauguin, Manet, Monet, Picasso, Pissarro, and Renoir. This international “harbor of art” features permanent collections like The Thannhauser Collection and The Bohen Foundation Gift as well as educational temporary exhibits.
5. Lower East Side Tenement Museum
Located in an old tenement apartment building at 97 Orchard Street which was once home to roughly 7000 immigrants, this museum displays personal stories of working class challenges. Explore one of the six restored apartments in “The Moores: An Irish Family in America” or see the Lower East Side neighborhood in “Immigrant Soles: A Neighborhood Walking Tour.”
4. Queens Museum of Art
The museum’s permanent collection consists of nearly 10,000 items, over 6,000 of which are documents and objects related to the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs. In addition, recent acquisitions include works by Salvador Dalí, Mark Dion, Andrew Moore’s photographs from Robert Moses and the Modern City. Also, you can find here a collection of 20th century photographs from the 1964 World’s Fair Kodak Pavilion, crime scene photographs from the Daily New Archive 1920’s-1960’s, and almost 1000 drawings by the court reporter and political cartoonist, William Sharp.
3. Museum of Modern Art
Also included in our list of NYC art museums is the MoMA (or the Museum of Modern Art), one of the most influential modern art museums in the world. It is home to famous masterpieces like Monet’s Reflections of Clouds on the Water-Lily Pond and Andy Warhol’s Cambell’s Soup Cans, while boasting works by non-conformist artists like Jackson Pollack, Salvador Dali, and Dorothea Lange.
2. Bronx Museum Of The Arts
The Bronx Museum of the Arts is a 20th century and contemporary art museum. It was founded in 1971 to serve the culturally diverse populations of the Bronx, along with New York’s metropolitan area. In 1987 the museum gained attention with two high-profile exhibitions – a career retrospective of African American artist Romare Bearden, accompanied by a presentation of the then-evolving school of computer generated art. Recent exhibitions have included the 2006 presentation “Tropicalia: A Revolution in Brazilian Culture” and the 2008 overview of street-level photography by Jamel Shabazz.
1. American Museum of Natural History
We close our list of NYC art museums with none other than the American Museum of Natural History. The museum boasts more than 32 million specimens that make up 45 permanent halls, such as the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life that displays the museum’s famous 94-foot-long model of a blue whale. Also a must see is the world-famous collection of dinosaur fossils found between the walls of one of the most famous museums in the world. Furthermore, you will be amazed by the world’s largest virtual realty simulator in the Hayden Planetarium. Last but not least, one can venture through the 90-foot-long diorama of the Dzanga-Sangha rain forest in the Hall of Biodiversity.
Leave a Reply