New Museum of Contemporary Art
The $50 million Bowery location of the New Museum, which was established in 1977, first opened its doors in 2007. It is a 7-story building that resembles stacks of blocks stacked on top of one another and was created by the avant-garde Tokyo-based architecture firm Sejima + Nishizawa/SANAA.
The museum features everything modern and contemporary in all forms, but it frequently supports lesser-known artists (shows have included Australian painter Helen Johnson, L.A.-based filmmaker Kahlil Joseph and Philadelphia installation artist Alex Da Corte). Exhibits can be hit or miss, and people's reactions to them are frequently highly individualized. New Museum stands out because it is a non-collective organization, which means that all of the space is devoted to a diverse collection of contemporary art that is constantly changing. Previous blockbusters have included Carsten Höller: Experience, the most thorough U.S. exhibition of the multi-media artist's work, and Live Forever, a survey of American artist Elizabeth Peyton's work.
In line with its more specialized position in the museum world when compared to the Met and MoMA, this is the major museum in New York City that attracts the greatest number of locals and art experts. Families and children are scarce here, and many visitors come specifically to see a particular exhibit.
- Website: https://www.newmuseum.org/
- Location: 235 Bowery, New York, NY 10002
