Bustling New York City is home to some of the world’s best museums. From the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the American Museum of Natural History, there’s an exhibition or collection to suit every taste. It can be difficult deciding which are best to encounter on your visit, but our top 5 picks of the best museums to visit in New York are sure to help you receive a stunning history and culture fix.
The Museum of Modern Art
Imperative in collecting and developing modern art, the Museum of Modern Art is identified as one of the most influential museums of modern art in the world. The museum is home to works of architecture, design, drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, illustrated books, film and electronic media. Works by influential artists such as Frida Kahlo, Vincent van Gogh, and Andy Warhol have found their home here.
American Museum of Natural History
Another of the world’s largest museums is the American Museum of Natural History. The Natural History museum houses a planetarium, and a library, as well as over 32 million specimens of plants, humans, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteors, and human cultural artefacts. It’s a relative haven of learning and exploration, that averages about five million visits annually.
The National September 11 Memorial and Museum
Commemorating the September 11 attacks, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum stands on the former location of the world trade towers. The museum is home to 23,000 images, 10,300 artefacts, and nearly 2,000 oral histories, mostly provided by friends and families. There is over 500 hours of video to view at the museum, and a touching memorial with the names of those lost displayed.
Lower East Side Tenement Museum
The Lower East Side Tenement Museum is a five-story brick tenement building that was once home to an estimated 7,000 people between 1863 and 1935. Now, the building acts as a time capsule, reflecting 19th and early 20th century living conditions, and the changing notions of what constitutes as acceptable housing. Now, located in the Lower East Side neighbourhood of Manhattan, the Tenement Museum is a National Historic Site.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the greatest museum in the United States, and one of the most visited art museums in the world. The Met’s permanent collection contains over two million works, divided amongst seventeen curatorial departments. It is by area, one of the world’s largest art galleries. Works from classical antiquity, and ancient Egypt are showcased, as well as a permanent collection of African, Asian, Oceania, Byzantine, Indian and Islamic art. Paintings and sculptures by all the European masters, as well as an extensive collection of American and modern art are all on show in one gregarious location.
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Feature Image Credit: Phil Roeder.
