Most Popular Museums of Modern Art in New York

New York is a lot more than skyscrapers and hotdogs. The hotbed of culture, New York is a haven for those with a creative bend of mind. Modern art is celebrated with great passion here, and the several remarkable modern art museums all over the place are living testimony to that. So if you see deeper than just lines and colors on a modern art canvas, New York is the place for you. Let’s have a look at the best modern art museums of the Big Apple.

Not only does it exhibit a fine range of avant-garde art, the Agora Gallery in 530 W 25 th Street also houses works of established artists and supports the budding and mid-level ones. The gallery also supports artists by issuing a biannual magazine known as the ARTIsSpectrum that features talents and artists of all levels. Agora owes its variety of collection to the deep relationship it has fostered with artists over the years. It’s not unusual for the Agora receptions to hold hundreds of guests of the artists, which is an incredible means of socializing and networking for artists and art aficionados.

Located in 330 W 108 th street, the Contemporary African Art Gallery doesn’t charge you an entry fee but it is recommended to book a prior appointment because of the sheer footfall the gallery receives. The gallery has been showcasing the remarkable works of African artists for the last twenty years. Walk in any day, and you will find works of roughly thirty artists on display. Most of these artists have earned a big name for themselves outside the United States. However, you can find ample works of budding artists in the gallery too. Looking at the rich African culture through art in the middle of the cosmopolitan New York environment is quite an experience.

The Luhring Augustine Gallery is located in the 531 W 24th Street. The gallery focuses on representing a group of international contemporary artists in diverse fields such as sculpture, video, drawing, painting as well as photography. Here, you will also find ethical and confidential resale of works by big names such as Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock. So, if you’re looking to buy works of eminent artists in confidentiality, this is the ideal gallery for you.

The Matthew Marks Gallery can be found in 522 W 22st Street, and it’s free entry for all. The gallery is quite popular for their fantastic display of works by both American and European artists. There’s quite a variety in media, which includes sculpture, painting, photography, printmaking, drawing, film and video. There are four locations of the gallery in New York, and there is also a fifth location in Los Angeles that opened in 2012. Each gallery is unique with something different to offer, not only in terms of the exhibitions but also in their architecture and layouts.

The state of the art museum in 11 W 53 rd Street has a twenty-five-dollar entry fee with a subsidized rate of eighteen dollars for senior citizens and fourteen dollars for students and children. One of New York’s high-profile museums, the Museum of Modern Art is a six-story that has many features a few museums can offer, including audio tours with high-end headphones, a spectacular sculpture garden, special exhibit and even assistance for the visually impaired. It is one of the most family-friendly museums you will ever come across, and it’s for large groups of people.

located in the 138 Sullivan Street, the SOHO Gallery for Digital Art has a free admission. However, events may have a price ranging anywhere between $7-$30. One of the most popular venues for contemporary digital art, the gallery is also a venue for several different kinds of events. It’s not just a gallery but also a community place for artists. Apart from art exhibitions, the gallery also holds events such as book readings, music shows, fashion shows, comedy, and book readings. Interesting events are lined up throughout the year. It’s simply a great venue for fantastic art, along with a plethora of cultural activities that has something new to offer every day.

When it comes to art-day tripping, the Storm King Art Center, located in New Windsor, New York is the most magical of them all. It boasts of a beautiful collection of more than a hundred outdoor sculptures. The artists include heavy names such as Ursula Von Rydingsyard, Alice Aycock, Alexander Calder, Mark di Suvero and Louise Nevelson. It’s an experience to soak in the beauty of five hundred acres of rolling hills and woodlands surrounded by wildflowers and native grasses. The venue is also known for its engaging exhibitions, public programs, and special events. If you’re interested in discourses regarding history of art through a mesmerizing archive of sculptures as well as publications and scholarly research, this is the place for you.

The David Zwirner Gallery is a popular gallery for contemporary art which is owned by David Zwirner. Apart from a beautiful gallery space in New York Coty, Zwriner owns another one in London. The gallery hosts different kinds of exhibitions that often showcase works of stalwart artists like Dan Flavin, Nei Rauch, Marlene Dumas, Donald Judd, Luc Tuymans, Doug Wheeler and Jason Rhoades. Over the years, several high-profile shows have kept the gallery in the headlines. In 2009-2010, Larry Bell exhibited his minimalist works, along with James Turrel, John McCracken and Fred Sandback. Yayoi Kusama’s show in 2013, and the 2016 collection of photographs by William Eggleston are one of the finest examples of how high profile the gallery is.

Christie’s beautiful 300,000 square feet gallery has been one of the best landmarks at Rockefeller Center since 1998. With well-lit galleries, a grand lobby and staircases leading to private viewing rooms, this is one of the most intriguing galleries of modern art in New York. Items are sold after a display of one week. Therefore, it is advisable that you keep a track of the masterpiece that you want to see at the gallery. The entry is free art from the ticketed events, which are mostly evening actions that feature high profile lots.

Owned by Carol Greene, the Greene Naftali Gallery was established in 1995. Since its inception, the gallery earned a name for its unique conceptual installations as well as performances. It’s located on the 8th floor of a building in West 26 th street. As you enter the gallery, you would be greeted with a remarkably long hallway leading into three huge exhibitions with rooms overlooking the Hugh Line. The gallery boasts of a number of excellent artists such as William Leavitt, Tony Conrad, Gedi Sibony and Gianni Colombo. A fantastically built gallery, the Greene Naftali should definitely be in your checklist if you’re ever in New York.

The Cheim & Reid was founded in 1997, and it’s one of the most popular galleries known to represent distinguished contemporary artists from all over the world. The carefully designed curatorial model has earned the gallery enough respect in the industry to be able to feature works of great artists such as Jannis Kounellis, KoanMitchell and Louise Bourgeois. One of the most famous events in recent years at the gallery was held in 2013 that focused on the New York abstraction during the 80s, with contribution from artists born between 1939 and 1949. The show featured some really important names such as Bill Jensen, Pat Steir and Louise Fishman.

The Andrea Rosen Gallery is famous for its representation of the conceptual artist Felix Gonzales-Torres who breathed his last in 1996 at the young age of 39. Some of the notable artist who exhibit their work at this gallery are Turner Prize winner Wolfgang Tillmans from Germany, ace photographer Walker Evans and Laslo Moholu-Nagy who is known for his contributions in Constructive Painting. The gallery was established in 1990 at 130 Prince Street in Soho. In 1998, it moved to its current location which is 525 West 24 th Street.

These were some of the best, and most popular modern art galleries in New York. However, rest assured that this is just the tip of the iceberg. New York is full of such amazing places of art and culture and it’s very likely that you’d end up discovering something on your own and add to this list.