11. Queens Museum | Art Galleries in NYC
Location: New York City building, Corona Park, Queens, New York
Architectural style: Neoclassical; Modern
Architect: Aymar Embury II; Grimshaw architects
Website: www.queensmuseum.org
Most commonly recognized for its famous Panorama of the City of New York permanent exhibit the Queens Museum is yet another go-to destination for art enthusiasts. It was founded in the year 1972 and is stationed in the New York City Building which was conceived as a pavilion for the 1939 World’s Fair by architect Aymar Embury II. It was for the 1964 World’s fair that a scale model of the five boroughs of New York City was made which today is a permanent exhibit and the largest attraction at the museum.
In the year 2013, the museum underwent an expansion process, headed by Grimshaw Architects to convert its ice skating rink into a gallery space with skylights creating an expanded gallery space with a dramatic play of light and volumes enhancing the overall experience of the museum. Most of the exhibits on display are those works of art that were first made for the World’s Fair and have continued to be featured in the permanent collection of the museum along with other works of art.
12. Rubin Museum of Art
Location: West 17th street, Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan
Architectural Style Renaissance; Modern
Architect: Remodeling by Beyer Blinder Belle
Website: www.rubinmuseum.org
The Rubin Museum is a museum that features the personal collections of art collectors Donald and Shelly Rubin. The museum is focused on staging works of art museums dedicated to the Indian subcontinent, the Himalayas, East Asia, and other regions within Eurasia, and a permanent on Tibetan art.
The building the museum currently operates out of was originally owned by a fashion department store called Barneys New York which was redesigned for the museum by preservation architects Beyer Blinder Belle.
Similar to the Guggenheim the Rubin art museum features a six-story spiral staircase which acts as a spine connecting the display galleries around it. It is also a common venue for hosting educational programs on art education and is a popular destination for live performances and art demonstrations.
13. New-York Historical Society | Art Galleries in NYC
Location: Central Park West, New York
Architectural style: Beaux-arts
Architect: York and Sawyer; Walker & Gillette
Website: NA
The New-York Historical Society is deemed to be New York’s first museum. It was set up in the year 1807 to document and present the rich history of New York City. The building was designed by York and Sawyer in the Roman eclectic style of architecture. It underwent renovation and expansion in the year 2011 and now has added gallery space and a dedicated museum section for children.
It houses over a million works of art depicting the rich culture and history of America and precedes even the MET in its establishment and collections of artworks making it a very significant museum in the city of New York.
14. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Location: Upper East Side’s Museum Mile in Manhattan, New York City
Architectural Style: Georgian style mansion
Architect: Gluckman Mayner Architects, Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners, Hood Design, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Thinc Design, Local Projects, Ideum, and Goppion.
Website: www.cooperhewitt.org
The Cooper Hewitt and Smithsonian Museum in New York’s only museum that exhibits historical and contemporary design with its exhibits exploring the evolution of design across 240 years.
This museum is worth paying a visit not only for its collections but also for the building by itself which is built in the style and still carries the charm of an old Georgian mansion.
15. The SHED | Art Galleries in NYC
Location: Hudson Yards, Manhattan
Architectural style : Modern; Contemporary
Architect: Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Website: www.theshed.org
The Shed is relatively new to the art scene of New York but is projected to have a fast-growing influence on the art industry. It opened in the year 2019 and is situated in Hudson Yards in Manhattan.
It is essentially a cultural center with provisions to collect and exhibit various contemporary artworks and also serves as a performing arts space to host a variety of visual and performing art bodies of work.
16. The Museum of the Moving Image
Location: 35th Avenue, Queens, New York
Architectural style : Modern + Contemporary
Architect: Leeser Architecture
Website: www.movingimage.us
The Museum of the Moving Image is a media museum that features the history, technique, and technology of digital media, film, and television. What formerly housed the historic Astoria studios now houses this museum.
It has several exhibits on media depicted through various multimedia artifacts and artworks including a wide variety of audiovisual elements employed to communicate the essence of the media industry and its evolution through the decades. It is also a host to a large collection of video games and gaming hardware and frequently holds screenings and panel discussions to encourage dialogue on the various emerging areas of the industry.
17. American Museum of Folk Art
Location: Upper West Side of Manhattan, at 2, Lincoln Square, Columbus Avenue at 66th Street.
Architectural style: Contemporary
Architect: Tod Williams and Billie Tsien Architects
Website: www.folkartmuseum.org
The American Museum of Folk art is yet another captivating museum in the vast expanse of museums in Manhattan. As the name suggests this museum is dedicated to preserving and promoting folk art and works of contemporary self-taught artists of the United States.
The museum also exhibits in its permanent collections African American and Latino artworks. The visitor I greeted by large display galleries filled with the colors and expressions of various forms of traditional and contemporary folk art and artists.
18. Bronx Museum of the arts | Art Galleries in NYC
Location: Grand Concourse, Bronx borough, New York
Architectural style: Art Deco-inspired Contemporary style
Architect: Arquitectonica
Website: m.bronxmuseum.org
The Bronx Museum is located in the Louis Aloys Risse designed Grand Concourse in the Bronx borough of New York. Much like the other contemporary art museums, the Bronx Museum was set up to create an art base and meeting point for the diverse groups of people that populated the Bronx Borough.
Apart from the art in the museum, the building by itself is an interesting architectural work that is worth paying a visit to. The museum is situated in a building that was once a synagogue- the Young Israel Synagogue.
It was renovated and converted to its current version in the 1980s by Castro-Blanco, Piscioneri & Feder and in the year 2006, an additional wing was added to it on the North to make room for more ventilation and larger gallery spaces. This north wing was designed by Miami-based architecture firm Arquitectonica and it is this wing that houses the pleated aluminum facade – one of the most recognized elements of the building.
19. Museum of Arts and Design
Location: 2 Columbus Cir, New York
Architectural style: Modern; Contemporary
Architect: Edward Durell; Allied Works
Website: www.madmuseum.org
The museum of arts and design was set up in the year 1956 as the Museum of Contemporary crafts to document and showcase innovations and developments in the art and craftsmanship of the contemporary artists of America. It served as a supporting agency in catalyzing the work of emerging contemporary artists in America.
Since its inception it has presented collections and exhibitions that boasted of innovations in materials and techniques associated with craft disciplines.
20. Artechouse | Art Galleries in NYC
Location: Main Concourse, Chelsea Market, New York
Architectural style: NA
Architect: NA
Website: www.artechouse.com
One of the newest additions to the already long list of captivating museums in the city of New York is the Artechouse. This unique museum is a bag of surprises that catches the viewer’s attention with its enthralling digital artworks. The museum presents artworks which are some of the latest and most advanced developments in graphic and digital artworks.
By what they call themselves this “digital art space” is one of the first that uses laser projection technology and immersive hyper-real sound technology to create multidimensional digital art spaces that change and transform into colors and shapes that the viewer can follow along by being directly involved with the artwork in the same place and moment as its creation.
This is a direct drift from conventional and historic art galleries but is sure to give the visitor a taste of the latest technologies in art and design.
