Your ultimate guide to the best art museums in New York City

From the smaller galleries in Chelsea to the world-class museums stretching from Brooklyn to the Upper East Side, there’s something for every art lover visiting New York City. All you have to do is decide what you want to see!

If you have no particular plan but still fancy an art day, walk along the Museum Mile, from 82nd to 105th Street, where there’s a multitude of art museums lining up Fifth Avenue. But with the vast array of fun museums to see in New York City, choosing which one to visit can be a little overwhelming. So here’s a curated list of the best art museums in New York City.

Best classical art museums in New York City

1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Is The Met the best art museum in New York City? The most prominent of Museum Mile’s residents, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, often simply called The Met, is the largest museum in the United States. With over 5,000 years of art from every corner of the world to explore, this late 19th-century neoclassical institution is an absolute dream.

The Met's enormous collection of over 2 million art pieces is divided between The Met on Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. The entry ticket is valid for both on the same day. If your time is limited, start at the main Fifth Avenue location, the largest and most important.

Highlights:

The Met’s Fifth Avenue location, with 2 million square feet of exhibition space, is divided by era. Here, you can expect everything from antiquities to modern art and photography. The Met Gala is held here annually, making the Met one of the coolest things to do in New York City.

Address and opening hours:

1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028. Open Sunday-Tuesday, Thursday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM; Friday and Saturday, 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Closed on Wednesdays.

2. The Guggenheim Museum

With an 85-year legacy, the Guggenheim Museum is one of the world’s most famous art foundations. There are a few Guggenheim museums worldwide, but the New York location is the original.

Primarily devoted to art from the 20th century, the Guggenheim showcases abstract art, Impressionism, Expressionism, and Surrealism. However, unlike most institutions dedicated to the visual arts, the geometric shapes of the gallery spaces present the art along a spiral (designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright), leaving little to separate artists, ideas, or periods.

Highlights:

It is one of the city’s two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the other being the Statue of Liberty.

Address and opening hours:

1071 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10128. Open Sunday-Wednesday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Friday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Saturday, 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Closed on Thursdays.

3. The Jewish Museum

The Jewish Museum offers a rich exploration of Jewish culture, history, and art. Located on Museum Mile, this museum houses an extensive collection of art, artifacts, and ceremonial objects that reflect the global Jewish experience.

Highlights:

The museum’s collection of Judaica, including beautifully crafted Torah ornaments and Hanukkah lamps, is a must-see. The museum also features modern and contemporary art by Jewish artists, such as Marc Chagall and Amedeo Modigliani. Special exhibitions often explore the intersection of Jewish identity with broader cultural and artistic movements.

Address and opening hours:

1109 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10128. Open Friday-Monday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with extended hours on Thursday until 8:00 PM.

4. The Morgan Library & Museum

The Morgan Library & Museum, originally the private library of financier J.P. Morgan, is a sanctuary for lovers of literature and fine arts. This museum boasts a remarkable collection of rare books, manuscripts, and art, all housed in a stunning architectural setting.

Highlights:

Visitors are often drawn to the museum’s medieval and Renaissance manuscripts collection, including the famous "Morgan Bible.” The museum also holds drawings by masters like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci and the original manuscript of Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol.”

Address and opening hours:

225 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM, with extended hours on Friday until 7:00 PM.

5. The Brooklyn Museum

Across the East River on the edge of Prospect Park, the ancestral home of the Lenape (Delaware) people, lies the Brooklyn Museum, New York City’s third-largest museum, known for its extensive collection of Egyptian and African art and paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts from the 17th to 20th centuries.

Themed galleries are spread across five floors, from Asian art on the second floor to decorative arts on the 4th and American and European art on the 5th. Don’t miss the 3rd floor, where you’ll find a fascinating exhibit exploring Egyptian beliefs about gender in the afterlife.

Highlights:

The museum’s first section opened in 1897. In 1923, it became the first museum in the United States to exhibit African cast metal and other objects as art rather than ethnological artifacts.

Address and opening hours:

200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11238. Open Wednesday-Sunday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with extended hours on Thursdays until 10:00 PM.

Best contemporary art museums in New York City

6. The Museum of Modern Art

The Museum of Modern Art (or MoMA) is the ultimate experience for fans of modern art. The collections here are among the most influential and extensive in the world. Expect to find exhibits such as works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Warhol, and Rothko. MoMA’s collection is not limited to classical art forms like painting or sculpture but includes film, photography, and design. This is undoubtedly one of the top art museums in New York City.

Highlights:

Take the elevator to the top and ride the escalators down as you work through the collections chronologically: 1880s–1940s on the 5th floor, 1940s–1970s on the 4th, and 1970s onwards on the second.

Address and opening hours:

11 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019. Open daily from 10:30 AM to 5:30 PM, with extended hours on Friday until 8:00 PM.

7. The Whitney Museum of American Art

When it opened in 1931, the Whitney Museum of American Art made homegrown American talent its primary focus before the boom in American art. Since 2015, the Whitney Museum has been in its current Meatpacking District location, a gleaming Renzo Piano-designed building next to the High Line. It has an expansive 18,000 square feet of exhibition space. The collection comprises an impressive 25,000 pieces by over 3,700 artists, from paintings and sculptures to moving images.

Highlights:

Don’t miss the free daily tours included in your entry ticket—check out the schedule when you arrive and explore a little deeper. Outdoor galleries mix with the more traditional spaces, making the city part of the experience, too.

Address and opening hours:

99 Gansevoort Street, New York, NY 10014. Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM; Friday and Saturday, 10:30 AM to 10:00 PM. Closed on Tuesdays.

8. MoMA PS1

Long Island City is home to some of the best museums in Queens. So it continues to make sense that it’s home to one of the largest non-profit institutions in the United States entirely dedicated to contemporary art: MoMA PS1.

Originally founded by an organization devoted to organizing exhibitions in abandoned spaces across New York City, PS1 is housed in a former public school building, hence its name, and later merged with the Museum of Modern Art.

Highlights:

From June to September, Warm Up is a weekly summer outdoor concert series that happens every Saturday. This curatorial program seeks to elevate innovative and underrepresented voices.

Address and opening hours:

22-25 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101. Open Thursday to Monday, 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM, with extended hours on Fridays until 10:00 PM. Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Best museums in New York City for European art

9. The Frick Collection

For a taste of European grandeur and intimacy, head to The Frick Collection. Housed in a majestic Fifth Avenue mansion, this museum offers a carefully curated selection of European art, including paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts. The Frick’s collection is particularly noted for its Old Master paintings, making it a perfect destination for lovers of classical art.

Highlights:

Don’t miss Vermeer’s “Mistress and Maid” and Rembrandt’s “The Polish Rider,” both exemplary works of the Dutch Golden Age.

Address and opening hours:

1 East 70th Street, New York, NY 10021. Open Thursday-Sunday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

10. The Neue Galerie

For fans of German and Austrian art from the early 20th century, The Neue Galerie is one of the best art museums to visit in New York City. This museum on the Upper East Side is dedicated to the art and design of Germany and Austria, with a particular emphasis on the Vienna Secession and Expressionism movements.

Highlights:

The museum’s star attraction is Gustav Klimt’s iconic “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I,” also known as “The Woman in Gold.” The museum also has an impressive collection of decorative arts, including pieces by Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser.

Address and opening hours:

1048 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028. Open Thursday-Monday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Best New York City museums for African American and Latin-American art

11. The Studio Museum in Harlem

The Studio Museum in Harlem is dedicated to showcasing the work of artists of African descent. This vibrant institution is a cultural cornerstone of Harlem, offering a dynamic range of exhibitions that highlight both emerging and established artists.

Highlights:

The museum is renowned for its collection of works by African American artists, including pieces by Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, and Faith Ringgold. The museum’s artist-in-residence program has supported the careers of many influential contemporary artists, whose works are frequently featured in exhibitions.

Address and opening hours:

144 West 125th Street, New York, NY 10027. Currently closed for renovation, with planned reopening at a new location in 2024. Check their website for updates and offsite programming.

12. El Museo del Barrio

The leading museum in the US dedicated to Latin American and Caribbean art is El Museo del Barrio. Located in East Harlem, this museum is a vibrant celebration of the diverse cultures and artistic traditions of Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Latinx community in the United States.

Highlights:

The museum’s treasures include a vast collection of Puerto Rican art, including works by famed artist Rafael Tufiño. It also features contemporary Latinx art, pre-Columbian artifacts, and a growing collection of modern art from Latin America. El Museo’s exhibitions often focus on social and political themes, reflecting the experiences of Latinx communities.

Address and opening hours:

1230 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029. Open Thursday-Sunday, 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

FAQs

How many art museums are there in New York City?

There are hundreds of cultural institutions in New York City, including multiple art museums, some internationally renowned and some more local.

What's the most famous art museum in New York City?

The Met Museum is the most famous art museum in NYC, but there are a few other popular ones, such as the MoMA, Guggenheim, Brooklyn Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

How much does it cost to go to an art museum in New York City?

Entrance fees to museums vary but expect to spend an average of $25 per person at most major New York art museums. Check out the museums’ websites for free entry or pay-what-you-wish hours and days. Many art museums offer these on certain days of the week.

Do you need to book tickets to art museums in New York City?

Booking in advance online is the best way to skip long ticket lines and secure your desired time slot.

When is the best time to visit art museums in New York City?

Early mornings or late afternoons tend to be less busy.