Best art galleries in New York

The Guggenheim or, if you like, ‘the Gugg’ requires little introduction. There’s that iconic geometric Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, for starters – all spiraling atriums and bright, open spaces – that make the building just as much a piece of art as anything you’ll find inside. As for the collection, it’s all about quality over quantity here, with around 8,000 (mostly) European paintings and sculptures to ogle. We’re talking Picasso and Pissarro; Koons and Klee; Manet, Monet, Miró and Modigliani, to name just a few.

Where to find it: Museum Mile, on the Upper East Side, at the edge of Central Park.

Don’t miss: Vasily Kandinsky’s abstract masterpieces, including the bold colors and shapes of his ‘Composition 8’ from 1923.

The Museum of Modern Art – MoMA to its friends – delivers yet more manna for modern art mavens (the clue here is very much in the name). This Midtown art mecca really sets the gold standard, with every room showcasing the ways in which art has shaped the world over the past 150 years (give or take). Here’s where you can tick off some of the most recognizable pieces of art on the planet – think the celestial beauty of van Gogh’s Starry Night, the riot of red that is Matisse’s Red Studio, Dalí’s nightmarish Persistence of Memory, and Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans, Double Elvis and Gold Marilyn Monroe.

Where to find it: Midtown, a short wander from multiple other NYC highlights, including Top of The Rock, Central Park and Fifth Avenue.

Don’t miss: We love the energy – and sheer scale – of Jackson Pollock’s drip-tastic Abstract Expressionist masterpiece ‘One: Number 31’.

The vibe at MoMA PS1, MoMA’s Long Island City outpost, is more contemporary than that of its more famous sibling, with rotating exhibitions and installations that run the gamut from prints and paintings to mixed media, sound art and beyond. The exhibits change frequently, so there’ll always be something fresh to eyeball on subsequent visits, but there’s a fair old variety of stalwart pieces here, too, some of which – like Pipilotti Rist’s ‘Selbstlos im Lavabad (Selfless in the Bath of Lava) video installation and Sol LeWitt’s ‘Crayola Square’ – have been resident here for decades.

Where to find it: Jackson Avenue, in Long Island City.

Don’t miss: James Turrell’s permanent ‘Meeting’ installation. Part of Turrell’s renowned Skyspace series, it's a room with an unobstructed opening in the ceiling, which is way more interesting to look at than we’ve just made it sound.

You don’t need to spend very long inside The Met to grasp what makes it one of the most revered cultural institutions on the planet. It’s very much a case of choose-your-own-adventure here, where ancient Egyptian temples (yes, there’s an actual temple here, shipped brick by brick from the banks of the Nile), share space with delicate Asian ceramics, Greco-Roman statuary, masterpieces by Rembrandt, Monet, van Gogh and Jackson Pollock, and many more wild, weird and wonderful works from the entire history of human artistic endeavor.

Where to find it: The lynchpin of Museum Mile sits inside Central Park, with its grand entrance on Fifth Avenue.

Don’t miss: Like duh… the magnificent Temple of Dendur. But also Emanuel Lutze’s imposing 1851 oil painting depicting George Washington crossing the Delaware River, on display in the American Wing.

Tucked away in the Meatpacking District, at the southern end of the High Line walkway, the Whitney – like its old pal the Guggenheim – is art contained inside architectural art. Designed by Renzo Piano, the building’s gleaming white facade and tumbling terraces provide the hors d'oeuvres to the veritable treasure trove of American art within. But this isn’t just any old American art. Far from it: we’re talking works by genuine legends – Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, Georgia O'Keeffe and Edward Hopper – alongside the superstars of tomorrow, represented in the gallery’s rotating exhibitions of contemporary artists. Step outside to the terraces to take in equally pleasing vistas of the Hudson and the High Line.

Where to find it: In the Meatpacking District, sandwiched between the High Line, 10th Avenue and Gansevoort Street.

Don’t miss: The world’s largest collection of pieces by Edward Hopper, including his masterful New York Interior, Early Sunday Morning and Second Story Sunlight.

The Met Cloisters is an offshoot of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (as if it wasn’t big enough already), specializing in European art and architecture of the Middle Ages, with a primary focus on Gothic and Romanesque eye candy. We’re talking medieval religious artifacts like reliquaries filled with sacred relics, plus idols, panel paintings and frescoes by the bucketload. The collection of around 5,000 pieces spans the 12th to 15th centuries and is presented in bona fide European monastic settings with cloisters that were painstakingly transported from France to New York in the early 20th Century. Take in the surroundings, including a picturesque medieval-style garden overlooking the Hudson, then dive into Nativity altarpieces, intricately carved crosses, tapestries, saintly statues and so much more.

Where to find it: Fort Tryon Park in Upper Manhattan.

Don’t miss: Robert Campin's 15th-century Mérode Altarpiece, a triptych of panel paintings in the Early Netherlandish style, depicting Mary and Joseph in domestic settings.  

Part of New York’s fabled Museum Mile, the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is America’s only institute that’s devoted solely to historic and contemporary design. Inside, it delivers a fun and fascinating experience with a quite extraordinary collection of over 200,000 design objects spanning over thirty centuries. Yes, that’s 3,000 years of human artistic endeavour, including everything from rare Michelangelo sketches and Tiepolo paintings to a chair used by Abraham Lincoln and modern 3D-printed objects. Take it all in, and be sure to spend some time enjoying the garden, with its colorful cherry trees, rockeries and rhododendrons while you’re there.

Where to find it: At the magnificent Andrew Carnegie Mansion on Museum Mile, sandwiched between the Jewish Museum and the Guggenheim.

Don’t miss: The series of chalk and crayon sketches by Italian maestro Michelangelo is one of the stars of the show here.

A cinephile's dream ticket, the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria explores the art, history, technique and technology of digital media in all its forms. But this is no ordinary look-but-don’t touch kinda place. Instead, you’ll get a fully hands-on immersion in film, television and digital art. Think flipbooks that let you bring animations to life, green-screen experiences that land you on faraway planets, and original props, puppets and costumes from TV and movie classics (lookin’ at you, Muppets).

Permanent exhibitions showcase how moving images shaped our world, while rotating exhibits often spotlight emerging directors. You can even catch a cult classic or foreign film in the gorgeous movie theater, with its pindrop-clear sound and plush blue seats.

Where to find it: It’s located in a former Astoria Studios building in Astoria, Queens.

Don’t miss: Iconic horror movie pieces like Freddie Krueger’s striped sweater and the puppet used in The Exorcist are particularly gasp-inducing.

Since its founding in 1974, the International Center of Photography has become known as the world’s leading establishment in its field. There’s a dazzling collection of different photography styles held here, ranging from antique black-and-white photos and vintage film stills to paparazzi snaps and social media uploads. As a result, there’s absolutely stacks to see here, including early daguerreotypes, tintypes and photo-illustrated wartime magazines like Lilliput, Life and Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung. There’s also a fine collection of 20th-century documentary photography here, including significant pieces by Robert Capa and Henri Cartier-Bresson. Inspired to pick up a camera by what you’ve seen? Good news: the institute also offers photography classes and workshops. 

Where to find it: You’ll find this one on Essex Street in the Lower East Side.

Don’t miss: Robert Capa’s images documenting the Spanish Civil War are absolutely essential.