Visiting Art Museums in NYC

Visiting Art Museums in NYC

If you have a free couple of hours and are visiting New York City, going to an art museum is a wonderful thing to do. The list is varied and long and is sure to please even the most discerning visitor. There are large and small museums, so wear comfortable shoes.

The most well known art museums in the city are the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), the Guggenheim museum, and the Whitney. Each have collections which have been added to through the years as well as visiting exhibitions which usually stay for two to six month time periods.

The Met is known for its impressionism as well as its Renaissance art, decorative arts, and sculpture. One could wander through this museum for hours and hardly make a dent. Its special exhibits have included King Tut, Models and clothing through the 20th century, special collections of impressionism, as well as photography exhibits. Its artifacts, jewelry and pottery collections from ancient historical times is always a crowd pleaser.

MoMA is known for its more modern art including artists such as Picasso, Salvatore Dali, Andrew Wyeth, and Caulder. The art and sculpture starts with impressionism such as artists like Monet and then takes you right through to the modern artists like Rauchenberg and Rothko. The building is an open, airy space just perfect for its collections. Other areas to check out include architecture and design, photography and special exhibits.

The Guggenheim and the Whitney are smaller museums that also have their own private collections as well as visiting art shows. The Guggenheim building is a modern, interesting piece of architecture which is in the round literally. Visitors walk on a cyclical, continuous ramp for several floors viewing art on each level. Both museums try to find the most modern, cutting edge exhibits out there. Their choices are always exciting, sometimes provocative, and usually a treat for art lovers.