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New York

New York City for Art Lovers

  • by mfs
  • A travel journal
  • Last Updated: March 7, 2001
Journal Usefulness Rating 4 out of 5
Journal Usefulness
8
Reviews

New York is an art-lovers paradise, and has so much more to offer beyond the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. New York's thriving gallery scene is exciting and offers an opportunity to see up-and-coming and established contemporary artists that aren't necessarily shown in the larger museums.

New York City for Art Lovers

Overview

Visiting New York's many art galleries is a real treat. The best of the art world is represented here, you could spend days browsing the incredible museums and galleries. Openings are especially fun - sometimes you can meet the artist. Check the NY Times Arts and Leisure section, ArtNews Magazine, or Gallery Guide (available free in some galleries) to see when openings will be held, call for an invite if you have to!

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

The subway is the way to go. Get a good map and don't listen to people who say it's not safe - it is!

Acappella

Restaurant

Acappella

Acappella is a beautiful restaurant with excellent service and even better Northern Italian food. The Spedino appetizer is fantastic, as are their delicious risotti! For entrees, I love their Pollo Scarpariello (chicken sauteed with garlic and white wine - it is sooo good!), and my family is partial to their lobster ravioli. You can't go wrong with any of their terrific home-made pastas. Their sauces are incredible!

Acappella has a refined, elegant atmosphere - it is a perfect place for a special dinner for two or a small family gathering. It's my Dad's favorite place for his birthday dinner, and we all look forward to his special day at Acappella. As I mentioned above, the staff is attentive and helpful, but not so much that you feel smothered. You'll never have an empty wine glass or feel as if you are being ignored.

Acappella is a fantastic restaurant. New York is loaded with Italian restaurants, but very few of them are really any good - Acappella tops the list of excellent Italian fare in NYC.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by mfs on March 6, 2001

Acappella
1 Hudson St New York, New York 10013
212-240-0163

International Center of Photography

Activity

International Center of Photography

*There are two locations for ICP - the new Museum at the address above, and an uptown gallery located at 1130 Fifth Avenue at 94th Street, on the museum mile.

ICP is the place to go to see top-notch photography exhibitions. I have enjoyed shows here for many years, most memorably an exhibit of photographs by photojournalist Robert Capa. The great airy space really lends itself to showing off the medium, and ICP attracts the best and most innovative and interesting photographers. Some of the more well-known photographers that have exhibited at ICP include Andy Warhol, Weegee, Annie Liebovitz, Carrie Weems, and Man Ray, but don't let a name you don't recognize keep you from visiting.

Admission for the Ave. of the Americas Gallery is $8, $6 for students and seniors. Admission for the 5th Ave. Gallery $6, $4 for students and seniors. Both sights are closed Mondays, and are open late Fridays till 8 pm.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by mfs on March 6, 2001

International Center of Photography
1130 Fifth Ave New York, New York 10128
+1 212 860 1777

Frick Collection

Activity

The Frick Collection

The Frick offers a wonderful alternative to the large, crowded MET. Housed in the beautiful mansion of it's collector and benefactor, Henry Frick, the well rounded collection features paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts. Among the many impressive pieces on display are works by Vermeer, Fragonard, Hans Holbein, Titian, El Greco, Constable, van Ruisdael, Corot, Rembrandt, Velázquez, and Piero della Francesca. Degas, Goya, Turner, Van Dyck, Lorrain, Boucher, David and Whistler, are also represented, to name only a few.

Admission is $7 - $5 for students with ID and Seniors, and the admission price includes and audio guide, which I think is a great deal. They are closed on Mondays.

The works are presented in the various rooms of Frick's mansion, which was expanded after his death to accomodate the collection. Since his death, additional works have been acquired. My favorite room is the lovely and serene Garden Court, which features a fountain. My favorite painting of this exquisite collection is Ingre's "Comtesse D'Haussonville," a portrait that is has a haunting photographic quality.

If you are an art lover, don't miss this exquisite collection. In addition to the high quality of the artwork, the historic building that houses the collection is also part of the allure. Don't miss it!
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by mfs on March 6, 2001

Frick Collection
1 East 70th St New York, New York 10021
(212) 288 0700

Galleries

Activity

#41 East 57th Street Galleries

On the corner of East 57th Street and Madison Avenue is a building brimming with excellent art galleries, which feature fantastic collections of contemporary art (and sometimes older masters as well, depending on the gallery). Visiting the galleries provides an opportunity to see more contemporary, cutting edge art than is on display in museums. Check out Danese (6th floor), James Cohen (2nd floor), Ameringer/Howard Fine Art (11th floor, The Peter Findlay Gallery (3rd floor), and my favorite, the James Goodman Gallery (8th floor - they feature deKooning, DuBuffet and Leger!), among many other excellent galleries. You can spend a whole day just making your way up the floors and checking out the shows at various galleries. Most galleries are small and showcase one artist at a time. And of course, everything is for sale if you have big bucks on you. The galleries at #41 E. 57th St. provide a great opportunity to see excellent examples of modern and contemporary art in a true NY gallery setting. Visiting the galleries is free of charge. No photos. Pick up a copy of Art Now Gallery Guide (available for free in many of the galleries) to see what galleries are featuring which artists.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by mfs on March 6, 2001

Galleries
41 East 57th Street New York, New York 10019

Pace Wildenstein Gallery

Activity

PaceWildenstein Gallery

Pace Wildenstein is an excellent gallery - it's a lot of fun to check out their shows, and it is one of my all-time favorite galleries in New York. They have tremendous prestige, and attract top contemporary artists. Several years ago, they had a show of Robert Rauschenberg's collages that blew me away, and they continue to maintain a steady stream of high-quality artists showing their work. Also located in the same building is Pace MacGill Gallery (9rd floor) and Pace Prints and Primitive (3rd floor), which are also well worth a look. The Pace Galleries are located across the street from 41 East 57 Street Gallery Building - so it's easy to make a day of the excellent uptown galleries without leaving the block.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by mfs on March 6, 2001

Pace Wildenstein Gallery
32 East 57th Street New York, New York 10022
(212) 421-3292

Asia Society Galleries

Activity

Asia Society

*The Asia Society is revamping its headquarters, and is currently operating in temporary quarters. Renovations at 725 Park Avenue will be completed in Fall 2001.

Asia Society is an education organization that was founded by John D. Rockefeller to foster greater understanding and rapport with Asian peoples ("Asian" is broadly translated in this instance to include all people living in the Asian-Pacific region, including parts of the Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand). They provide wonderful educational seminars, and also have a gallery that is worth checking out. In the past, the gallery has featured exhibitions of Asian photography, decorative arts, painting, and religious art (to name only few). The People's Republic of China, Mongolia, Tibet, Japan, and the Indus Valley (modern Pakistan) have all been represented over the past few years.

The Asia Society presents fascinating exhibitions of art we are unlikely to run into in our daily lives - definitely worth a visit! They also have a great museum shop!
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by mfs on March 6, 2001

Asia Society Galleries
725 Park Ave New York, New York 10021
+1 212 517 ASIA (274

Gagosian Gallery

Activity

Gagosian Gallery

Also locations at 136 Wooster Street in SoHo and 980 Madison Avenue uptown.

Owner Larry Gagosian is a major art dealer in New York, and his galleries are a hotbed of artworld activity. Works by artists like Francesco Clemente, Ed Ruscha, David Salle, Eric Fischl and Philip Taafe are shown here. Gagosian also represents such powerhouses as Willem de Kooning, Andy Warhol, Frank Gehry, Cy Twombly, Robert Rauschenberg and Arshile Gorky. It's a fascinating place - you'll see art that will make you think, make you happy, maybe even make you mad or confused. It's not a huge space, so you can take your time and focus on what's on display. Shows change regularly - the NY times Sunday Arts & Leisure section is a good place to see which artists will be showing at what location.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by mfs on March 6, 2001

Gagosian Gallery
555 West 24th Street New York, New York
(212) 741-9652

Pearl Paint Company

Activity

Pearl Paint

Pearl Paint is a virtual department store of art supplies. You can get just about anything you need here - canvas, paints, brushes, 100s of pens and pencils, a huge variety of specialty papers, portfolios, etc... The prices are pretty good for New York, although the service isn't so great. The giant store is staffed mainly by art students who seem more interested in the employee discount than helping customers. But it's not that big a deal - if you know what you want, they've got it in there somewhere. It's a great place to just browse through and let something pique your interest. They also have a pretty good website - http://www.pearlnyc.com/pearl/index.html - so you can order supplies once you get home (if there isn't a Pearl store near you.)
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by mfs on March 7, 2001

Pearl Paint Company
308 Canal St New York, New York 10013
+1 212 431 7932

About the Writer

mfs
mfs
Sea Girt, United States

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