New York City (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [89]
Morgan Library and Museum.
The treasures inside this museum, gathered by John Pierpont Morgan (1837–1913), one of New York’s wealthiest financiers, are exceptional: medieval and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts, old master drawings and prints, rare books, and autographed literary and musical manuscripts.
Architect Renzo Piano’s redesign of the museum was unveiled in April 2006. The original Renaissance-style building (1906) by Charles McKim of McKim, Mead & White has been preserved, but now there’s twice the gallery space, an enlarged auditorium, a dining room, and a café.
Crowning achievements produced on paper, from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, are on view here: letters penned by John Keats and Thomas Jefferson; a summary of the theory of relativity in Einstein’s own elegant handwriting; three Gutenberg Bibles; drawings by Dürer, Leonardo da Vinci, Rubens, Blake, and Rembrandt; the only known manuscript fragment of Milton’s Paradise Lost; Thoreau’s journals; and original manuscripts and letters by Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, Thomas Pynchon, and many others.
The library shop is within an 1852 Italianate brownstone, once the home of Morgan’s son, J. P. Morgan Jr. Outside on East 36th Street, the sphinx in the right-hand sculptured panel of the original library’s facade was rumored to wear the face of architect Charles McKim. | 225 Madison Ave., at 36th St., Murray Hill | 10016 | 212/685–0008 | www.themorgan.org | $12 | Tues.–Thurs. 10:30–5, Fri. 10:30–9, Sat. 10–6, Sun. 11–6 | Subway: B, D, F, N, Q, R, V to 34th St./Herald Sq.; 6 to 33rd St.
Museum of Sex.
Ponder the profound history and cultural significance of sex while staring at vintage pornographic photos, S&M paraphernalia, anti-masturbation devices from the 1800s, vintage condom tins, and silent movies. The subject matter is given serious curatorial treatment, though an alternative museum like this has to credit sex-product companies rather than foundations for sponsorship, and the gift shop preceding the galleries is full of fun sexual kitsch.
On two floors, special exhibits and the permanent collection probe topics such as Japanese pornographic art from the 1700s or classic American pinup art. Evenings bring readings by cutting-edge authors and performance artists. No one under 18 is admitted. | 233 5th Ave., entrance on 27th St., Flatiron District | 10016 | 212/689–6337 | www.museumofsex.com | $16.75 | Sun.–Thurs. 10–8, weekends 10–9 | Subway: R to 28th St.
MIDTOWN
American Folk Art Museum.
Weather vanes, quilts, pottery, scrimshaw, sculpture, and paintings give an excellent overview of the freewheeling folk-art genre, but the exterior is a work of art as well: the eight-story building was designed in 2001 by husband-and-wife-team Tod Williams and Billie Tsein, and the facade, consisting of 63 hand-cast panels of alloyed bronze, reveals individual textures, sizes, and plays of light.
You’ll also find a large collection of contemporary self-taught artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, including the single largest collection of reclusive Chicago artist Henry Darger, known for his mythic, mural-size painting. The museum’s gift shop has an outstanding collection of handcrafted items. | 45 W. 53rd St., between 5th and 6th Aves., Midtown West | 10019 | 212/265–1040 | www.folkartmuseum.org | $12; Fri. 5:30 pm–7:30 pm, free | Tues.–Sun. 10:30–5:30, Fri. 10:30–7:30 | Subway: E, M to 5th Ave./53rd St.; B, D, E to 7th Ave.; B, D, F, M to 47th–50th Sts./Rockefeller Center.
International Center of Photography.
Founded in 1974 by photojournalist Cornell Capa (photographer Robert Capa’s brother), this leading photography museum and school has a permanent collection focused on American and European documentary photography of the 1930s to the 1990s.
Changing exhibits display work by famous and should-be-famous photographers and theme group shows on topics such as ecology, health, religion, science, war, and candid street shots. The gift shop offers amazing imagery on postcards, posters, and prints, and outstanding photography