New York City is one of the world’s greatest cities.
It is an epicenter of the arts, a gastronomic mecca, and a shopping capital. It has history, culture, and an inimitable cosmopolitan vibe that has inspired many an art form—from films to fashion, paintings to songs. So deeply has NYC embedded itself into our consciousness that even if you haven’t been there, it seems as if you’ve already.
And just like any other great city, the likes of which include Paris, Rome, and Tokyo, the Big Apple boasts a number of museums of immense historic and cultural importance that run the gamut from revered institutions to smaller, quirkier, off-the-radar finds.
So if you’re heading out to the city once considered the capital of the world, be it for the upcoming New York Fashion week or just for a quick getaway, The POST has here eight museums we consider essentials.
1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Lovingly nicknamed “The Met,” it is arguably New York City’s most famous museum, and is the most visited, not only in the city but in the entire United States. It is also the fifth most visited museum in the world. By floor area, it is the fourth-largest museum in the world and the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.
Adding to its impressive statistics is that as an encyclopedic museum, the Met has more than 1.5 million pieces of art in its collection that span thousands of years. There are prehistoric artifacts, paintings by the Old Masters, and works by modern artists like Joan Miró.
Like museums of equal stature, the Met also has a roster of rotating exhibitions, a wing devoted to Islamic art, and the Costume Institute, which kicks off its yearly exhibition with the annual Met Gala. The museum also has a second location, the Met Cloisters, which features medieval art.
The Met itself is a work of art, with its grand windows, Gothic revival-style embellishments, and those iconic steps which have figured in countless movies and TV series.
2. The Museum of Modern Art
Following our earlier analogy, we can perhaps say that the MoMA is NYC’s version of Museé d’Orsay. Just like the Met, you can’t really say you’ve been to New York City if you haven’t been to this museum. Located in Midtown Manhattan, MoMA was the first museum in the city devoted to modern art and is now one of the largest and most well-known cultural institutions of its kind in the world.
Today, the museum has over 150,000 pieces in its staggering collection, including beloved works like Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans, Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night, and self-portraits by Frida Kahlo. Thanks to a mega expansion project which opened in 2019, the MoMA now has even more space: it’s 40,000 square feet bigger with a total of 708,000 square feet of exhibition area.
Notably, the museum also has an impressive film collection with 30,000 films and 1.5 million film stills. With this, the MoMa regularly hosts on-site screenings, which are often held in conjunction with talks led by esteemed directors and artists.
3. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Called by many as just the “Guggenheim,” this museum is best known for its distinct 20th century architecture designed by no less than Frank Lloyd Wright. So indelible is its architectural design that it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2019.
Because of the building’s shape, visitors spiral up the museum, allowing them to view the Guggenheim’s works in a continuous loop. Visitors can immerse themselves in 7,000 pieces, ranging from art created by Pablo Picasso to Wassily Kandinsky.
4. The American Museum of Natural History
Another iconic NYC museum, the AMNH boasts more than 30 million specimens and a breathtaking scope of exhibitions spanning from the Big Bang to the present day.
Museum highlights include the 94-foot-long blue whale replica in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, an enormous collection of taxidermied animals, a dizzying number of dinosaur artifacts, the Hayden Planetarium (currently directed by astrophysicist celebrity Neil DeGrasse Tyson), and the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, which opened in May 2023 and has an insectarium, including a live butterfly exhibition, on display.
It’s so easy to lose track of time in the museum that before you know it, it’s already closing time. We highly recommend a stroll along Central Park which is just across the museum as you continue pondering the mysteries of the universe.
5. Brooklyn Museum
Unbeknown to many, this museum has a collection that could rival the Met’s. Founded in 1898 and located in an 1897 Beaux-Arts-style building, Brooklyn Museum houses art and artifacts that span 3,000 years.
There you’ll find galleries devoted to African art and ancient Egyptian artifacts. There are also contemporary works, and if it’s your lucky day, you can come across exhibitions featuring the works of famous contemporary names like Spike Lee and David Bowie.
Another museum highlight is The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago, an important icon of 1970s feminist art and a milestone in 20th century art. This massive centerpiece pays homage to powerful women throughout history.
6. The Morgan Library and Museum
Bookworms, this is the museum for you. The Morgan Library was initially constructed in 1906 to house the books of banker J.P. Morgan (yep, that guy). After he died in 1924, his son opened it to the public, in accordance with his father’s will.
Today the complex includes the library, an annex built on the site of Morgan’s residence, a garden court, and a lovely glass structure designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Renzo Piano in 2006.
Inside, guests will find an ornate interior decorated with murals and plasterwork inspired by the Italian High Renaissance artist Raphael. The library holds an extensive collection of rare books and manuscripts that would delight bibliophiles. There are annotated and autographed musical scores composed by Beethoven, Brahms, and Chopin; three Gutenberg Bibles; illuminated manuscripts; and even letters that date back to ancient Babylon!
7. The Whitney Museum of American Art
In 2015, the 92-year-old Whitney Museum of American Art (or just the Whitney) moved into a futuristic new building designed by Renzo Piano in the Meatpacking District.
The 63,000-sqm new location has four outdoor exhibition spaces and affords visitors scenic views of the Hudson and the High Line. The Whitney is best known for its extensive collection of American art. It boasts 25,000 works, with pieces by modern artists like Edward Hopper, Mark Rothko, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and William de Kooning.
The Whitney Biennial, one of the museum’s biggest events, features work in all media occurring over the previous two years.
8. The Noguchi Museum
This museum in Long Island City was designed and built by the Isamu Noguchi himself. Born in New York City in 1904 to an Irish American mother and Japanese father, Noguchi is widely considered one of the most influential sculptors of the past century.
He worked with a wide range of materials, notably marble, stainless steel, and cast iron. Noguchi, however, is probably best known for his eponymous tables, which are characterized by their curvaceous bases made from carved wood and their freeform glass tops, as well as his Akari light sculptures made from washi paper and bamboo lamps.
At the museum, visitors will find his abstract sculptures spread across 27,000 square feet of serene exhibition space. Don’t forget to spend some time in the outdoor sculpture garden, which is inspired by traditional Japanese gardens and is an oasis of calm amid frenetic NYC.
