If you want to skip the big-museum madness or are just looking for something new, check out one of these five lesser-known art museums in NYC on your next trip to the Big Apple.
Hey everybody! I’m just reminding you that everything in a museum is subject to change – exhibitions, artworks on display, opening times, and prices. I can only tell you what the museum was like the last time I was there, which might not stay the same. It’s not only that exhibitions change and prices increase; I’ve revisited museums and found their fundamental personalities to be really different from my last visit (or that half their galleries are closed for renovation). I know how sad a disappointing museum visit can be, so I’m reminding you to check everything out on the museum’s website ahead of time.
Expert guidance for your next art museum adventure
Bard Graduate Center Gallery
An outpost of Bard College, the Bard Graduate Center houses a celebrated grad program in the history of decorative arts, design, and material culture. The Bard Graduate Center Gallery offers a revolving door of special exhibitions on some pretty unusual and fascinating topics related to its fields of study. A few years ago, I visited an exhibition of votives at the Bard Graduate Center Gallery and found it to be very thorough and informative despite the museum’s small size. From what I remember, the building is lovely as well. At the time of writing this, for example, the exhibition is about metalwork in Africa. Prior exhibitions have involved all sorts of topics in furniture, pottery, fashion, pottery, typography, books, and more from ancient to contemporary. Since the gallery doesn’t display any sort of permanent collection, everything depends on what exhibition is on view at any given time. And since there are generally months-long gaps between exhibitions, it’s not always open, so check the website before stopping by.
Location: 18 West 86th St. (Upper West Side)
Admission: $15 general
Hispanic Society of America Museum
Located way uptown in Washington Heights, the Hispanic Society of America is an institution for the study and appreciation of art and culture from Spain, Portugal, and the Spanish-speaking world. Its great highlight is Joaquin Sorolla’s Vision of Spain series, which he made specifically for the museum’s purpose-built gallery. The lovely terrace outside also contains a famous sculpture of medieval Spanish hero El Cid by celebrated American sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington (the wife of Hispanic Society founder Archer Huntington). A multi-year renovation project means that there’s very little actually on display at the Hispanic Society right now, so this is one to visit in the future. I know that it contains great treasures, but I’ve yet to see most of them. As such, I’m looking forward to seeing all the treasures and reporting back when everything re-opens. The Hispanic Society also has an extensive library and an elegant complex of buildings.
Location: 613 W 155th St. (Washington Heights)
Admission: free
Neue Gallery
Located just a few blocks from the Met, the Neue Gallery is a small, elegant museum of 20th-century German and Austrian art. Filled with works by Egon Schiele, Max Beckmann, the Wiener Werkstätte, and more, the Neue is most famous for Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, better known as the Woman in Gold. The museum offers both a permanent collection and special exhibitions of fine and decorative arts. In addition to all this very dramatic and avant-garde art, the Neue Gallery has a beautiful Gilded Age building that’s a work of art in its own right. The museum is small enough to feel very approachable, yet it’s packed full of world-class artworks.
Location: 1048 Fifth Avenue (Upper East Side)
Admission: $25 general
New Museum
As its name suggests, the New Museum is an institution for innovative contemporary art. Its exhibitions are always different and interesting, and they tend to include works you’re not likely to see most other places. For example, I once saw a show there that included a multi-story slide on which visitors descended through the floors of the building. As someone who primarily loves historical art, I don’t spend a lot of time at the New Museum, but those of you who like surprising new things will probably really enjoy it. Like the Bard Gallery mentioned above, the New Museum doesn’t display a permanent collection, but it does show multiple special exhibitions at a time.
Location: 235 Bowery (The Bowery)
Admission: $22 general
Rubin Museum of Art
Since I’ve already written a review of the Rubin Museum of Art, I won’t repeat myself here. In short, the Rubin specializes in art from the Himalayas and surrounding areas, and its collections date from the Middle Ages through the present day. One of the museum’s highlights is the Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, which is filled with the sights, sounds, and smells of real Tibetan Buddhist practice. It’s an immersive and meaningful experience no matter your personal belief system. The Rubin does a great job educating visitors on the cultures and belief systems involved, meaning that you won’t feel too confused even if you have no prior experience with the Himalayas and its religions. I highly recommend this museum if you’re open to diving into a really fascinating area of art history that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves.
Location: 150 West 17th Street (Chelsea)
Admission: $19 general
Update 2/2024: The Rubin Museum of Art will close permanently in October 2024.
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