New York City is host to some of the best museums in the world that showcase a range of artwork like modern art, cultural displays, folk art, photography exhibits and so on. Here is a list of ten museums that you can visit while in the city.
1. Museum of Modern Art- Popularly called MoMA, this museum displays some of the best modern art such as Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and Van Gogh's Starry Night. The highlight of the newly renovated MoMA remains the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden.
2. Morgan Library- New York's literary jewel box, the Morgan Library has an enviable collection of original manuscripts, rare books, personal writings and master drawings. Recent additions include a memorabilia on Saul Steinberg and an exhibit on Bob Dylan's life through his music and letters.
3. Museum of Jewish Heritage- This six-sided architectural beauty was designed by award-winning architect Kevin Roche. The museum displays a permanent showcase of exhibits like "Jewish Life a Century Ago, The War against the Jews," and "Jewish Renewal" not just through photographs and documents but also through videotaped testimonies of Holocaust victims and survivors.
4. Metropolitan Museum of Art- The largest in the Western hemisphere, this museum is popular not just for its size of 1.6 million square feet but also for its magnificent collection of world cultural displays. Beginning with the Roman and Greek Galleries to vast Egyptian collections, the Museum has several highlights that can leave visitors wanting to come back for another visit.
5. Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum- This indoor/outdoor museum has a beautiful collection of the Japanese American sculptor, Isamu Noguchi's works and includes in its perfectly Zen environment his masterpieces in clay, stone, wood and metal.
6. New York City Fire Museum- A unique museum, it has a collection of the United States' fire-service memorabilia from the 18th century to the present. Displays include a range of vintage fire trucks as well as modern day tools and equipment. Visitors will also get to see real fire-fighters voluntarily sharing stories and fire-safety information with curious adults and children.
7. American Folk Art Museum- This museum displays an outstanding collection of traditional crafts and art exhibiting to visitors the beauty of American folk-art from the 18th century onwards. Its remarkable textile collection is very popular with its spectrum of quilts.
8. International Center of Photography- A must-see for photography enthusiasts, the ICP is known world-wide for its collection of over 50,000 prints displayed as rotating exhibitions in its gallery. The collection includes works of both contemporary as well as historically known photographers.
9. American Museum of Natural History- This museum attracts visitors with its four-story tall planetarium sphere at the Rose Center for Earth and Space. Other highlights include the Hall of Biodiversity, the Butterfly Conservatory, the Big Bang Theatre, and Hall of the Universe and the Hall of Planet Earth.
10. Skyscraper Museum- The museum includes one gallery dedicated to the evolution of Manhattan's commercial skyline and a second one which has different shows. The museum is ideal for all those who are in awe of the high-rise architectural structures that dot the city.
Orson Johnson writes for Holiday Velvet, a website providing Accommodation in NYC & Vacation Rentals.
