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10 Art Museums in New York City That You Shouldn't Miss
Conquering New York in one visit is impossible. Instead, hit the must-sees – the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art – and then explore off the beaten path with visits to The Cloisters or one of the city’s libraries. Indulge in the bohemian shops of the West Village or the fine dining of the Upper West Side. The bustling marketplace inside of Grand Central Station gives you a literal taste of the best the city has to offer.
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1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 54,604 reviews
At New York City's most visited museum and attraction, you will experience over 5,000 years of art from around the world. The Met is for anyone as a source of inspiration, insight and understanding. You can learn, escape, play, dream, discover, connect.
Reviewed By cmasb - Rickmansworth, United Kingdom
We have wanted to visit here for ages and finally made it. It did not disappoint. There is no way you can see everything in any museum of any stature such as the Met. Choose what you are interested in and focus on just a few items. Our passions include European paintings from the 15th to early 19th centuries and we were indulged: incredible works by Velasquez, Goya, David, Brueghel, Rembrandt, Hals, Vermeer etc etc. You cannot be disappointed. We also visited the Graeco-Roman and Egyptian galleries, which were also fascinating. It was busy even on a Monday in schooltime. We booked tickets ahead, which saved us time queuing, so it might be worth your time doing the same thing. We had a nice but rather expensive lunch in the cafeteria in the basement. Sandwiches at $15? They didn’t even have caviar in them (but were tasty).
2. Frick Collection
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 8,658 reviews
The Frick Collection is your home for art from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century. Founded by Henry Clay Frick (1849–1919), the museum offers visitors intimate encounters with one of the world’s foremost collections of European fine and decorative arts. The Frick—now in its temporary location at Frick Madison, at the Breuer-designed building at 945 Madison Avenue, while its historic buildings undergo renovation—features celebrated works by Rembrandt, Fragonard, Ingres, Bellini, Vermeer, and more. The Frick Art Reference Library, a leading art historical research center, was established one hundred years ago by Helen Clay Frick and provides access to its rich collections for scholars and the public alike.
Reviewed By JuliaManhattan - New York City, United States
Architectural critic Paul Goldberger may have said it best: "The Met is admired but the Frick is beloved." You can sit in peace in Henry Clay Frick's magnificent mansion, contemplating his extraordinary collection of old masters, all living serenely in a setting filled with Rococo and Renaissance furniture, and accumulated superb decorative arts, including Limoges enamels, Meissen porcelain, and Italian bronzes.
3. 2120: An Art Experience at Portion Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 8 reviews
Produced by YTG Agency, 2120: An Art Experience by artist Jacob M Fisher is a temporary sound and light art installation at Portion Gallery. Portion Gallery is a blockchain-enabled gallery that exhibits artists that explore the future of art.
Reviewed By Nikkik333218
It was such an amazing experience!!! Such a talented artist !! I highly recommend checking it out! Something you don’t want to miss.
4. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 17,916 reviews
Located in the heart of midtown Manhattan, The Museum of Modern Art is home to the world's greatest collection of modern and contemporary art. The collection includes Vincent van Gogh's "The Starry Night" and Andy Warhol's "Gold Marilyn Monroe," along with works by Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, Cindy Sherman, Elizabeth Murray, and many other great artists of our time. MoMA's collection also showcases photography, film, architecture, design, media, and performance art. Visitors can also enjoy shopping and fine and casual dining options. Mondays are reserved exclusively for members and their guests. Closed for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Reviewed By Lighthousemitch30 - Kew, Australia
The MOMA was an enjoyable experience. Although we visited during the peak Christmas period there was plenty for all of us to see Galleries included works from Dali Gauguin Van Gogh and some massive Monet canvasses Free audio a must Particularly enjoyed the modern architecture exhibitions from Frank Lloyd Wright and Bauhaus Sculpture garden is free and Open to the public
5. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 580 reviews
Effective March 14, Cooper Hewitt is temporarily closed to support the effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. Our priority is to protect the safety and health of its staff, volunteers, and visitors. Please visit cooperhewitt.org for updates on our operating status.
Reviewed By JuliaManhattan - New York City, United States
A couple of blocks north of the Guggenheim, Cooper-Hewitt projects a sense of peaceful isolation, with an imposing iron gate protecting Andrew Carnegie's splendid mansion. With its eclectic but vivid exhibits it is very much worth the short walk uptown. (And you should see this part of Fifth Avenue anyway.) At the moment Cooper-Hewitt is showing Nature by Design, featuring four centuries worth of selections from its permanent collection, including jewelry, textiles, and furnitures by designers interpreting nature's beauty and science. And in celebration of the centenary of the founding of the Bauhaus in Weimar, it has a compelling exhibit on Herbert Bayer, who spent his most productive years in the US, especially Chicago and Aspen. Cooper-Hewitt's interactive presentations will enchant the kids, especially Face Values, which takes composites of your features & tells you who you are, and Curiosity Cloud, a gorgeous chandelier w/ tiny sculptured chattering insects that you can wander through & around, producing different musical sounds and sensations. And so much more!
6. Whitney Museum of American Art
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,145 reviews
The Whitney Museum is New York's home for modern and contemporary art of the United States. Located in Manhattan's vibrant Meatpacking District, the Whitney presents the work of living artists alongside perennial favorites by Edward Hopper, Georgia O'Keeffe, Jacob Lawrence, Alexander Calder, and many others. Through August 8 immerse yourself in the abstract world of Julie Mehretu. Featuring more than seventy artworks, including monumental canvases and a new site-specific work inspired by New York City, Julie Mehretu offers the most comprehensive view of the artist’s practice to date. Advance ticketing is required: book timed tickets today and prepare for your trip at whitney.org.
Reviewed By 653fayef - New York City, United States
Start at the top floor and start with the Hoppers from the permanent collection.... Work your way down to the unusual modern art....sculpture.... Go out on the terraces and see the interesting sculptures
7. The Met Cloisters
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5,095 reviews
Branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that was constructed out of sections of French medieval monasteries, offers an extensive collection of statues, paintings, stained glass windows and tapestries.
Reviewed By JohnK3353 - Brooklyn, United States
If in the mood for time transportation, check out the glorious Cloisters Museum in northern Manhattan. Yes, a bit of a schlep to get there (take the A or 1 subway) but worth it. Once there, a quietly serene transportation back to the Middle Ages - like walking through an exquisite monastery - the whole 9 yards, what with winding staircases, tiny chapels, gardens, crypts, and galleries loaded with amazing Christian art. And several gorgeous gardens, with breathtaking views of the Hudson River and the Palisades (cliffs) of New Jersey on the opposite side of the river. Never mobbed with tourists (unlike its Mother Museum The Met), the Cloisters can be enjoyed on dual levels. Medieval art in a unique museum that doesn't seem like a museum, or just a quiet place for reflection and/or contemplation, in a placid environment. In manic, maddening, Manhattan.
8. Nicholas Roerich Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 42 reviews
The major center for the exhibition of paintings by Nicholas Roerich, a Russian-born artist who increased appreciation of the value of the cultural heritage of all nations.
Reviewed By painter04646 - Sharon, United States
Nicholas Roerich's brilliant artist, and innovator, paintings fill this small brown stone building in the uppermost side. His work has a pprofound influence on my own work. Part mystic, he trenscended all style of his time (eearly 2oth century). His images of the Himalyayas are extraordinary of course, but packed in are so much more personal observations and synthesis of religion. Many times nominated for Nobel Peace Prizes. It is an honor to have this collection in NYC. This collection presents of 200 paintings presents a very rare opportunity.
9. New-York Historical Society Museum & Library
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 824 reviews
The New-York Historical Society features a host of permanent and rotating exhibitions that explore the history of New York City and the nation. The oldest museum in New York City, New-York Historical is home to a vast collection of objects, documents, and art, including one of the world’s largest collections of Tiffany glasswork, a recreation of the Oval Office, and the Center for Women's History, revealing the untold stories of women who have shaped the American experience.
Reviewed By williamm690 - Boston, United States
The Museum of Natural History was packed shoulder-to-shoulder on a Saturday afternoon, so we came here instead for "air," and how surprised we were by the treasures within! The Tiffany exhibit was dazzling, extensive, and highly informative -- one quickly came to appreciate the depth of artistry and craft involved, including the pioneering role played by a key female designer. Railroads, waterfronts, skyscrapers, fine art. Even the timeless wit and wisdom of Mark Twain. It's all here. On a modest scale in some cases, yes, but as with the State it celebrates, close attention is richly rewarded.
10. Neue Galerie
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,598 reviews
A museum displaying works of art by German and Austrian artists and designers.
Reviewed By billmarsano - New York City, United States
And that's Gustav Klimt's portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. There's a Mona Lisa aspect to this piece: is it famous because it's great or is it great because it's famous? Either way it's wonderful, more so because the gallery forbid selfies EXCEPT below stairs, where there is an excellent full-size reproduction erected especially for nitwits who are addicted to this sort of thing. Would be worthwhile to first see "Woman in Gold,"(starring the peerless Helen Mirren), the 2015 movie about the painting, the Bloch-Bauer family, the theft by the Nazis and the final recovery of the painting after decades of mulish and cynical maneuvering by the Austrian government. Off Central Park & smack in the middle of Museum Mile, so you can easily plan a day's worth of exhibit-going.
