New York City (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [94]
Whitney Highlights
Start your visit on the fifth floor, where the galleries house rotating exhibitions of postwar and contemporary works from the permanent collection by artists such as Jackson Pollock, Jim Dine, Jasper Johns, Mark Rothko, Chuck Close, Cindy Sherman, and Roy Lichtenstein.
Although the collection on display constantly changes, notable pieces often on view include Hopper’s Early Sunday Morning (1930), Bellows’s Dempsey and Firpo (1924), Alexander Calder’s beloved Circus, and several of Georgia O’Keeffe’s dazzling flower paintings.
The lower floors feature exhibitions of contemporary artists such as Kara Walker and Gordon Matta-Clark as well as retrospective exhibitions that focus on movements and themes in American art.
The often-controversial Whitney Biennial, which showcases the most important developments in American art over the previous two years, takes place in the spring of even-numbered years.
Whitney Tips
After 6 pm on Friday the price of admission is pay-what-you-wish. On some of those nights the Whitney Live series presents new artists and reinterpretations of American classics. Be forewarned that this combination may result in long lines.
945 Madison Ave., at E. 75th St., Upper East Side | 800/944-8639 | www.whitney.org | $18 | Wed., Thurs., and weekends 11–6; Fri. 1–9 | Subway: 6 to 77th St.
UPPER WEST SIDE
American Folk Art Museum: Eva and Morris Feld Gallery.
Across from Lincoln Center, this branch of the American Folk Art Museum on West 53rd Street has a small selection of art and decorative objects culled from all over the Americas. You might see painted store signs, outsider art, weather vanes, or carousel mounts. On permanent display is the National Tribute Quilt, made up of 3,466 blocks for each person who died on 9/11, and Girl in Red Dress with Cat and Dog by Ammi Phillips. The gift shop is worth a browse. | 2 Lincoln Sq., Columbus Ave. between W. 65th and W. 66th Sts., Upper West Side | 10023 | 212/595–9533 | www.folkartmuseum.org | $3 suggested admission | Tues.–Sat. noon–7:30, Sun. noon–6 | Subway: 1 to 66th St./Lincoln Center.
Fodor’s Choice | American Museum of Natural History.
The largest natural history museum in the world is also one of the most impressive sights in New York. Four city blocks make up its 45 exhibition halls, which hold more than 32 million artifacts and wonders from the land, the sea, and outer space. With all those wonders, you won’t be able to see everything on a single visit, but you can easily hit the highlights in half a day. The Rose Center for Earth and Space should not be missed. | Central Park W. at W. 79 St., Upper West Side | 10024 | 212/769–5200 | www.amnh.org | $16 suggested donation, includes admission to Rose Center for Earth and Space | Daily 10–5:45, Rose Center until 8:45 on Fri. | Subway: B, C to 81st St./Museum of Natural History.
Children’s Museum of Manhattan.
In this five-story exploratorium children ages one to seven are invited to paint their own masterpieces, float boats down a “stream,” and climb in a Trojan horse. Art workshops, science programs, and storytelling sessions are held daily. | 212 W. 83rd St., between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave., Upper West Side | 10024 | 212/721–1223 | www.cmom.org | $10 | Tues.–Sun. 10–5, Sat. 10–7 | Subway: 1 to 86th St.
Museum of Arts and Design.
In a whimsical building right next door to the Time-Warner Center, the Museum of Arts and Design celebrates joyful quirkiness and personal, sometimes even obsessive, artistic visions. The art is human-scale here, much of it neatly housed in display cases rather than on the walls, with a strong focus on contemporary jewelry, glass, ceramic, fiber, wood, and mixed-media works.
Recent exhibits included Slash: Paper Under the Knife, which showcased contemporary artworks entirely made from cut paper, and Read My Pins, which displayed the brooch collection of former secretary of state Madeline Albright.