Al nivel de San Francisco y Los Ángeles, Nueva York se reconoce como una de las principales capitales del arte de Estados Unidos. Durante muchos años, multitud de viajeros curiosos han acudido a la ciudad para visitar los famosos espacios culturales que albergan algunas de las colecciones de arte más importantes y extensas del país. Tanto si quieres contemplar obras maestras contemporáneas en espacios espectaculares como en depósitos más pequeños y peculiares, nosotros te ayudamos con lo mejor que ofrece la zona. Así que, si planeas un viaje a la Gran Manzana, ¡echa un vistazo a nuestra lista de algunas de las mejores galerías de arte para visitar mientras estés allí! Te prometemos que no te decepcionará.
Contempla los clásicos
No podíamos escribir un artículo sobre los mejores museos de arte de Nueva York sin mencionar el the Guggenheim. Casi tan famoso por su estructura como por su colección, el audaz edificio en espiral fue diseñado por Frank Lloyd Wright en 1959 y se erige como un monumento emblemático de la ciudad. Al entrar, los visitantes pueden disfrutar de exposiciones especiales de piezas impresionistas, posimpresionistas, modernas y contemporáneas de artistas de todo el mundo. Al presentar obras de arte de categoría mundial en un espacio espectacular, esta institución de renombre internacional ofrece una profunda experiencia cultural para ti y tus seres queridos.
Si el arte moderno no es lo tuyo, pon rumbo a the Cloisters para realizar un fascinante viaje al pasado. Como parte del Museo Metropolitano de Arte, esta institución tan venerada y consolidada busca mostrar el arte y la arquitectura de la Edad Media europea en todo su esplendor. Los visitantes pueden contemplar hermosas tallas, impresionantes vidrieras e intrincados tapices, todo ello albergado en un espacio de inspiración medieval con vistas al río Hudson. Ven a descubrir magníficas obras de arte y vete con una idea más profunda de cómo llegó a ser el mundo que te rodea. Otra de nuestras galerías de arte favoritas en la ciudad es El Museo del Barrio. Desde su fundación en 1969 en un aula de una escuela pública del Harlem hispano, el museo ha crecido hasta convertirse en una de las instituciones culturales latinas líderes de Estados Unidos. Destacando entre otros establecimientos de élite de la ciudad, el museo se especializa en arte latinoamericano, caribeño y puertorriqueño. No hay duda de que te sorprenderá la impresionante colección permanente de la institución, que cuenta con más de 10.000 pinturas, esculturas y fotografías, entre otros objetos. A través de la interpretación de obras de diferentes culturas, el museo ofrece una experiencia educativa y visual única para personas de todas las edades.
Empápate de cultura
Nueva York debe su desarrollo y su célebre patrimonio a generaciones de creativos influyentes y a facetas sociales distintivas, todo lo cual se exhibe en las mejores galerías de la ciudad. Combinando el arte con la cultura, the Africa Center documenta la experiencia africana contemporánea a través de una serie de destacadas exposiciones, eventos y conferencias. Al entrar, los visitantes pueden contemplar pinturas evocadoras y exposiciones sobre moda, mobiliario, cerámica y mucho más. Lo que más nos gusta de este lugar es que es prácticamente imposible salir de él sin haber aprendido algo nuevo. Una de las cosas más fantásticas de Nueva York es que ofrece una variedad increíble de cosas que ver, sean cuales sean tus intereses. Situado en el Upper West Side de Manhattan, the American Folk Art Museum busca preservar, presentar e interpretar las obras de artistas autodidactas contemporáneos de Estados Unidos y el extranjero. Al recorrer la institución, los visitantes pueden contemplar una colección de primera clase de más de 8.000 objetos que abarcan más de 300 años. Es, sin duda, una de las experiencias más originales e interesantes que ofrece la ciudad.
The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art es uno de los mejores lugares para visitar en Nueva York si tienes un perfil creativo. Situado en el Downtown de Manhattan, el instituto se dedica a coleccionar, preservar y dar visibilidad al arte relacionado con temas, problemáticas y personas LGBTQ+. Este museo, único en su género en el mundo, exhibe una destacada colección de 22.000 obras. Sin embargo, el principal atractivo del establecimiento es su fantástica colección permanente, que cuenta con obras de David Hockney, Andy Warhol y Berenice Abbott. Este centro, el lugar perfecto para pasar una tarde tranquila, ofrece una experiencia visual única y sin igual.
Prueba algo nuevo
Mientras que muchos de los principales museos de la ciudad se centran en obras estáticas, el Museum of the Moving Image explora el arte, la historia, la técnica y la tecnología de los medios digitales en todas sus facetas. El sueño de cualquier cinéfilo , el instituto presenta una amplia variedad de temas que abarcan todas las etapas del desarrollo, la promoción y la exhibición de las imágenes en movimiento. A través de exposiciones interactivas, estaciones de trabajo de animación y un completo programa de proyecciones, quienes lo visitan pueden aprender más sobre el impacto transformador de las tecnologías de la imagen y el sonido en nuestras vidas. Con una amplia colección de equipos técnicos, copias de películas y trajes, este lugar te dejará fascinado durante horas.
La ciudad presenta una impresionante riqueza de instituciones culturales en todas las expresiones creativas. Desde su fundación en 1974, el International Center of Photography se ha dado a conocer como la institución líder en el mundo para los amantes de la cultura visual y la luz capturada. Quienes lo visitan quedarán deslumbrados por los diversos estilos de fotografía que alberga el museo, que van desde piezas en blanco y negro y fotogramas de cine clásico hasta fotos de paparazzi y publicaciones de redes sociales. Además, el instituto ofrece varias clases y talleres para quienes tengan interés en ponerse detrás de la cámara. Tan inspirador como fascinante, el instituto ofrece una visión completa de la historia y el desarrollo de esta forma de arte en particular. Quienes busquen algo un poco diferente pueden visitar el Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Museum. Como parte de la Milla de los Museos del Upper East Side, el instituto destaca por ser el único depósito de Estados Unidos dedicado exclusivamente al diseño histórico y contemporáneo. El museo ofrece una experiencia divertida y fascinante con su extraordinaria colección de más de 210.000 objetos de diseño que abarcan más de treinta siglos. Con tanto que ver y aprender, pasar un día entero aquí no sería en absoluto una idea descabellada. Nueva York es reconocida por su escena creativa, vibrante e inimitable. Tanto si tienes interés por ver tallas medievales como escultura contemporánea o fotogramas de cine clásico, las instituciones culturales más veneradas de la ciudad y sus tesoros ocultos te mantendrán con ocupación durante horas. Elige entre una amplia gama de espacios diversos para maximizar tu sensación de descubrimiento y asombro. Y ahora no tienes por qué perderte nada: para aprovechar al máximo tu viaje, prueba el Pase Todo Incluido o el Pase Explorer de Go City. Si quieres saber más, conecta con nosotros en Instagram y Facebook.
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
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.
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
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’.
MoMA PS1
MoMA PS1
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.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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.
The Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art
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
The Met Cloisters
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.
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
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.
El Museo del Barrio
Another one of our favorite NYC art galleries, El Museo del Barrio was founded in a public-school classroom in Spanish Harlem in 1969, and has since grown to become one of the leading Latin cultural institutions in the United States. The museum specializes in Latin American, Caribbean and Puerto Rican art, with a permanent collection that spans more than 800 years and includes more than 10,000 paintings, sculptures, photographs and other artistic treasures like carnival masks and documentary films.
Where to find it: Also on Museum Mile. You’ll find it at the northern end, just beyond the Museum of the City of New York.
Don’t miss: Handcrafted Taino statuettes from Puerto Rico.
Museum of the Moving Image
Museum of the Moving Image
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.
Museum of the City of New York
The history of NYC in a nutshell (or apple core?), the Museum of the City of New York is an essential intro to the greatest city on earth. Step into the past, present and future of New York through groundbreaking exhibitions that explore the Big Apple’s unique character. We’re talking paintings, drawings, prints, textiles, furniture, antique toys, photographs and more, the majority of which date from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Where to find it: This one’s right at the top of Museum Mile, just beyond El Museo del Barrio.
Don’t miss: A 17th-century chair that’s said to have belonged to Sarah Rapelje, the first child born of European parents in the State of New York.
Museum of Arts and Design
Exhibitions across the four floors of the Museum of Arts & Design – aka MAD – rotate frequently. But come any time and you’re sure to encounter just about every form of art and design you can think of; an ever-evolving love letter to innovation in craft, art, and design across the ages, if you will. Furniture, ceramics, jewelry, clothing, sculpture, film, sound and performance… MAD has the lot, and then some. Previous exhibitions here have showcased Vera Neumann’s bold textile prints and British artist Brian Clarke’s eye-popping stained glass creations, which should give you some idea of what you can expect.
Where to find it: It’s in the heart of Columbus Circle at Central Park’s southwest corner.
Don’t miss: Free guided tours of the museum with MAD docents, each one of them a veritable walking encyclopaedia of art and design knowledge.
International Center of Photography
International Center of Photography
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.
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art
Last but not least in our rundown of New York’s best galleries, the Leslie Lohman-Museum of Art is currently the only institute in NYC that’s wholly dedicated to art that documents the LGBTQ+ experience. You’ll find it in the hipper-than-thou enclave of SoHo, where its Wooster Street address promises some 30,000 artworks, ranging from contemporary installation and video pieces to paintings and sculptures. Highlights include works by Warhol, Hockney and Bernice Abbott, while rotating exhibitions showcase the best of the rest in contemporary LGBTQ+ art from NYC and beyond.
Where to find it: On Wooster Street in trendy SoHo.
Don’t miss: Screen prints from Andy Warhol’s landmark Sex Parts series.
Looking for more inspiration for your New York trip? Learn how to ride the subway like a pro and ramp up your NYC experience with our guide to the city’s most adrenaline-fueled attractions.
Step up your sightseeing with Go City®
We make it easy to explore the best a city has to offer. We’re talking top attractions, hidden gems and local tours, all for one low price. Plus, you'll enjoy guaranteed savings, compared to buying individual attraction tickets.
See more, do more, and experience more with Go City® - just choose a pass to get started!
