For more than a century—going back to events like the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1870 and the first Armory Show in 1913—New York City has been a world-renowned destination for art. The City is home to grand institutions like the Met and the Museum of Modern Art along with more specialized museums like the Noguchi Museum and Neue Galerie. NYC also serves as a major center for the international art market, with hundreds of commercial galleries in Manhattan and Brooklyn, annual art fairs that feature cutting-edge work and auction houses selling iconic paintings for millions.
Ready to dive in? Check out our roundup of the City’s major museums, galleries, cultural and heritage institutions, auction houses and art fairs.
Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo: Tagger Yancey IV
The Big Museums
You can spend a day or more checking out the expansive collections and special exhibits at any of these institutions.
Brooklyn Museum
Neighborhood: Prospect Heights
What you’ll see: A vibrant mix of classic, modern and contemporary art. Historically, the museum has been known for its Egyptian Galleries and Mummy Chamber. In recent years, the curators have focused on multiculturalism and inclusivity, as seen in shows of contemporary LGBTQ+ artists, Native American work and the impact of the Great Migration.
Don’t miss: Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party—an installation of 39 place settings, each designed to honor a famous woman.
The Frick Collection
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
What you’ll see: A large collection of works from Europe, with emphasis on the Old Masters, whose permanent setting is a stunning space that used to be the residence of industrialist Henry Frick.
Don’t miss: Rembrandt’s self-portrait, circa 1658. The original museum on East 70th Street is currently closed for renovations, but the collection’s temporary home is just around the corner at 945 Madison Avenue—the brutalist building that was once the Met Breuer.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
What you’ll see: Ancient and classical sculpture, a diverse selection of paintings and photography, historical furnishings, medieval armor and even high fashion—all told, more than 2 million works of art reflecting five millennia of human creativity.
Don’t miss: The Temple of Dendur. Originally completed around 10 BC in Egypt, it has been on display here since 1978.
MoMA PS1
Neighborhood: Long Island City
What you’ll see: Cutting-edge contemporary art and installations in a repurposed schoolhouse.
Don’t miss: James Turrell’s open-to-the-sky, site-specific installation Meeting is the kind of thing you have to see in person to fully appreciate; we recommend doing so close to dusk.
The Morgan Library & Museum
Neighborhood: Murray Hill
What you’ll see: What started as a collection of rare manuscripts (courtesy of J. P. Morgan) has expanded to include fine art, namely drawing and photography.
Don’t miss: One of its three copies of the original Gutenberg Bible—among only 50 remaining in the world.
Museum of Modern Art(MoMA)
Neighborhood: Midtown
What you’ll see: Works by all the modern masters, from Picasso to Pollock to Warhol, along with contemporary exhibits in the museum’s newly expanded western wing.
Don’t miss: Monet’s Water Lilies series and van Gogh’s The Starry Night, two classics on permanent display.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
What you’ll see: A spiral-shaped building, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, that is itself is a work of art. It’s filled with modern holdings and showcases special exhibits in its rotunda.
Don’t miss: The permanent Thannhauser Collection, which features works by van Gogh and Picasso.
Whitney Museum of American Art
Neighborhood: Meatpacking District
What you’ll see: Work by American artists from the 20th and 21st centuries. The Whitney’s physical structure, with plentiful natural light and outdoor spaces, is another big draw.
Don’t miss: Mark Rothko’s mid-century color studies, a centerpiece of the collection.
The Bronx Museum of the Arts. Photo: Kate Glicksberg
Specialized Museums
New York City also plays host to smaller institutions, many of which focus on a specific style or art form.
The Bronx Museum of the Arts
Neighborhood: Grand Concourse
What you’ll see: Contemporary, cross-cultural work, with a focus on home-grown artists.
Don’t miss: The museum’s special exhibitions, which feature works by local photographers and artists as well as pieces from their permanent collection by the likes of Jamel Shabazz, Willie Cole and Ana Mendieta.
The Drawing Center
Neighborhood: Soho
What you’ll see: Established in 1977, this museum is the only one in the US to focus solely on drawings; featured artists have included Gerhard Richter and Eva Hesse.
Don’t miss: The unique offerings in their bookstore, including limited-edition catalogues sourced from the Center’s archive.
International Center of Photography
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
What you’ll see: Current photography from around the world, with work centered on social themes.
Don’t miss: Their permanent collection holds over 200,000 prints and includes pieces by Ansel Adams, Henri-Cartier Bresson and Diane Arbus.
Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art
Neighborhood: Lighthouse Hill
What you’ll see: A serene stone building designed in the style of a traditional hillside monastery, which houses a large collection of Himalayan and Tibetan art from the past 600 years.
Don’t miss: The museum’s special event offerings, such as yoga and tai chi classes and sound-healing meditations.
The Leslie–Lohman Museum of Art
Neighborhood: Soho
What you’ll see: Drawings, paintings and sculpture by LGBTQ+ artists from the past and present.
Don’t miss: Pieces by Robert Mapplethorpe, Zanele Muholi, Mickalene Thomas and Catherine Opie.
The Met Cloisters
Neighborhood: Washington Heights
What you’ll see: Medieval art presented in a complex of buildings that integrates period elements transported from Europe and reconstructed in New York City.
Don’t miss: Their collection of seven beautiful unicorn tapestries, which date back to the late 1400s.
Neue Galerie
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
What you’ll see: Early 20th-century work from Austria and Germany, including paintings from superstars like Klimt and Schiele.
Don’t miss: Adele Bloch-Bauer I, the remarkable Klimt painting that inspired the 2015 film The Woman in Gold.
The New Museum
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
What you’ll see: Contemporary and cutting-edge art in a modern building on the Bowery, designed by noted Japanese firm SANAA. The structure, which looks like a stack of blocks, is hard to miss.
Don’t miss: The museum’s store, which has a quirky collection of items including art, cameras, fragrances and clothing.
The Noguchi Museum
Neighborhood: Astoria
What you’ll see: Work by Japanese sculptor Isamu Noguchi, whose studio was in Queens.
Don’t miss: The peaceful sculpture garden in back, which Noguchi personally designed.
Queens Museum
Neighborhood: Flushing
What you’ll see: Mixed media and experimental works alongside permanent standbys like the collection of Tiffany glass.
Don’t miss: The Panorama, a massive and incredibly detailed scale model of NYC, originally constructed for the 1964–65 World’s Fair.
Rubin Museum of Art
Neighborhood: Chelsea
What you’ll see: Art from the Himalayas, with a particular focus on Tibet, in a beautiful setting with a five-story spiral staircase at its center.
Don’t miss: The interactive Mandala Lab on the third floor, which provides a multi-sensory experience that guides you on a journey of self-awareness and connection.
National Museum of the American Indian. Photo: Molly Flores
Cultural and Heritage Institutions
These establishments honor the rich traditions of visitors and residents from other countries and cultures.
The Africa Center
Neighborhood: East Harlem
What you’ll see: Exhibitions that focus on contemporary African artists and foster an understanding of Africa’s diaspora and those of African descent.
Don’t miss: The remnant of a Victor Ekpuk installation, Harlem Sunrise, on display inside the Center’s café, Teranga.
Asia Society and Museum
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
What you’ll see: A traditional and contemporary collection spanning works from all of Asia, including initial bequests donated by John D. Rockefeller III, who founded the institution in 1956.
Don’t miss: The space’s modern architecture—including a glass-roofed garden court and expanded galleries—designed by Bartholomew Voorsanger.
El Museo del Barrio
Neighborhood: East Harlem
What you’ll see: Wide-ranging artistic works by Latino, Caribbean and Latin American creators. The permanent collection spans pre-Columbian to contemporary eras, and includes over 8,000 pieces.
Don’t miss: The museum’s art deco theater, built in 1921, is flanked by 30-foot murals by painter Willy Pogany and plays host to screenings and lectures.
French Institute Alliance Française
Neighborhood: Lenox Hill
What you’ll see: A historic Beaux-Arts building featuring a first-floor gallery and a second floor that contains one of the country’s most comprehensive private French libraries (you’ll need membership for regular use but first-time visitors are always welcome).
Don’t miss: Their massive slate of programs and offerings, including French classes, film screenings and pop-up markets.
The Jewish Museum
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
What you’ll see: Four thousand years of Jewish culture reflected in almost 30,000 works sourced from all over the world.
Don’t miss: The rotating offering from their National Jewish Archive of Broadcasting, which curates and exhibits materials related to 20th-century Jewish culture in American television and radio.
National Museum of the American Indian
Neighborhood: Financial District
What you’ll see: Just inside the main entrance of building, which was designed by Cass Gilbert in the early 1900s, is a white-marbled rotunda with a 48-foot ceiling, oval skylight and murals depicting New York Harbor.
Don’t miss: The South Gallery’s ongoing exhibition, Infinity of Nations, which showcases over 700 geographically organized pieces from Indigenous cultures of the Americas.
The Armory Show New York's Art Fair. Photo: Vincent Tullo
Art Fairs
Museums mostly show works by established creators. The City’s art fairs offer a chance to look at the current state of the art (as it were) and catch the art world’s rising stars. These are listed in rough chronological order.
The Affordable Art Fair
Neighborhood: Chelsea
When: Late March and late September
What you’ll see: Art that will please both your eye and your wallet, with a focus on newer artists under 30.
Paris Photo New York
Neighborhood: Hell’s Kitchen
When: April
What you’ll see: New contemporary and experimental work in an ever-evolving art form.
Frieze New York
Neighborhood: Hudson Yards
When: May
What you’ll see: Over 65 major galleries’ worth of work by a wide range of international artists.
Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit
Neighborhood: Greenwich Village
When: Late May and early September (Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends)
What you’ll see: Arts and crafts booths lined up along Washington Square Park, in a neighborhood long known for its creative community.
The Armory Show
Neighborhood: Hell’s Kitchen
When: September
What you’ll see: The latest in contemporary art, photography and sculpture at the Javits Center.
Art Galleries and Auction Houses
Along with London and Paris, New York City is an international hub for the art market. Here are the primary neighborhoods in its storied commercial gallery scene.
Chelsea
What you’ll see: The former warehouse district has hundreds of austere, white-walled spaces open free of charge to the public. Many openings take place on Thursday and Friday nights, making those ideal times to hop from gallery to gallery sipping wine and seeing the latest exhibits. Check out NY Art Beat for upcoming openings.
Lower East Side
What you’ll see: An incredible concentration of galleries between Houston and Hester Streets.
Midtown/Rockefeller Center
What you’ll see: The City’s main auction houses often sell works for millions of dollars and have galleries of their own. Christie’s is open to the public for auctions and previews of work that will be sold.
Upper East Side
What you’ll see: Sotheby’s, on the Upper East Side, has expansive gallery space across four floors. If you have some valuable art of your own, you can even bring it in for expert appraisal and sale—just call ahead to make arrangements.
Various neighborhoods, Brooklyn
What you’ll see: Over the last 20 years, the City’s art scene has expanded across the East River. Hop the G and L trains and travel between mini art districts across the borough. One of the best ways to discover new artists is to visit an open studio in Bushwick, Greenpoint, Red Hook or Industry City, where you can see artists in their spaces and purchase their work directly.
