Oh, you're into art? Good thing you're in the cultural center of the world, huh?
In New York City, the museum game comes in hot. Like, smoking hot. Like, so hot it's on fire. We're not exaggerating. We've got the largest museum in the country (we're looking at you, Met) and we've got some of the most famous museums (with some of the most famous paintings) in the world.
So you like having your soul expanded by some really innovative, beautiful, boundary pushing art?
Stick with us. We've got the lowdown on which museums you need to grab your pals and hit before the year ends. If you haven't heard, 2015 is dwindling and it'll take some of the most gorgeous museum exhibits with it.
Don't let this happen to you. Get out to all of these museums before the year expires, and take in all they've got to offer in terms of stunning aesthetics. Trust us, it's a lot.
Read on to find out which museums to visit in NYC as soon as humanly possible.
1. Museum of Natural History (Central Park West and 79th Street)
It's hot times at the Museum of Natural History, and we're not just referring to their $325 million expansion, although we are way stoked about that, we've got to admit. We're counting down the seconds until 2020.
However, there is plenty to see and do at the Museum of Natural History in the present, during the tail end of 2015.
Their "Life at the Limits" exhibit, a display of the most awe-inspiring array of life forms with a spectacle of behaviors, parts, and skills, ends on January 3rd, 2016.
Their "Spiders Alive!" exhibit ends on November 29th, and "The Secret World Inside You" exhibit doesn't end until August 14th, but still. It looks incredibly fascinating.
Donations are always "suggested" when you buy them at the museum. Their suggested admission price is $22, but you don't have to pay that much. Our point is, go check out this museum before the year ends, and prepare to get fascinated.
2. MoMa (11 West 53rd Street)
themuseumofmodernart Roy Lichtenstein, born this day in 1923, reinterpreted the cover of DC Comics' "Run for Love!" for this painting, changing the caption from “I don’t care if I have a cramp!” to “I don’t care!” and the boyfriend’s name from Mal to Brad. [Roy Lichtenstein. "Drowning Girl." 1963. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Photo: John Wronn] #popart 💭
The Museum of Modern Art is propelled toward fueling creativity, igniting minds, and providing inspiration.
If you're way wild about Picasso, you've got to get out to see the "Picasso Sculpture" exhibit. It's a sweeping survey of Pablo Picasso's most innovative, influential work, but this time with a twist: it's in three dimensions.
This is the first such museum exhibit in the U.S. in nearly fifty years so, it's pretty cool, and you should go see it.
Plus, "Starry Night" by Van Gogh, just one of the most famous paintings there ever was, is at the MoMa. It's probably the most famous besides "Mona Lisa," which Da Vinci painted and which is in The Louvre in Paris.
Anyway, more on the MoMa's exhibits. Their "Walid Raad" exhibit ends on January 31st and "Revolt, They Said" ends on November 29th. We're not trying to make you anxious, but these exhibits are off the chain, and you should go see them.
3. Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 5th Avenue)
metmuseum All seventeen of the Met's paintings by Vincent van Gogh—the largest collection of the artist's work on this side of the Atlantic—are on view in galleries 823, 826, and 962. #metmuseum #VanGogh
Did you know the Metropolitan Museum of Art, hereon referred to as "the Met," is the largest museum in the United States?
Well, it is. Pretty impressive, right? We know, we know.
It's got more than two million works of art, and admission is recommended, so you really don't have to pay anything to get in.
We hate to say it, but the clock is ticking on some of their most stellar exhibitions. As in, you should try to get it together to get to the Met before 2015 is up.
Their "Kongo: Power and Majesty" ends on January 3rd, and "Ancient Egypt Transformed: The Middle Kingdom" ends on January 24th. Plus "The Royal Hunt: Courtly Pursuits in Indian Art" ends on December 8th.
We're truly tempted by the "About Face: Human Expression on Paper" exhibit too, which will end on December 13th. So grab a date, grab some pals, grab your family, screw it, go by yourself. Just get to the Met.
4. The Guggenheim (1071 5th Avenue)
Some call it the giggity-Guggenheim. Some call in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Some call it one of the most famous, internationally renowned museums in the country.
Want a pro tip on visiting the Guggenheim? Its admission price drops on Saturdays. Specifically, between the hours of 5:45 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. admission price to the Guggenheim drops to $0, as in, completely free. So we suggest you visit during those hours.
The Guggenheim is a cultural center, and educational institution, and a significant architectural icon. Plus, it has some pretty stellar exhibits.
"Alberto Burri: The Trauma of Painting," a collection that's way poignant based on just name alone, will conclude on January 6th.
They've also got some beautiful permanent art that you don't have to rush out to see. They've got paintings by Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, and Vincent Van Gogh, just to name a few. These are all part of the "Thannhauser Collection." If you like art, you should see it.
,5. Whitney Museum of American Art (99 Gansevoort Street)
The Whitney is as culturally innovative as it is architecturally stunning. What we man is, you should go visit.
It's the preeminent institution devoted to the art of the United States. It presents a full range of twentieth-century and contemporary American art, with a special focus on works by living artists. So, you might fall in love with a painting. Then, you might get to meet that painter.
The Whitney was the first museum dedicated to the work of living American artists. Today, it's still at it.
They've got a "Frank Stella: A Retrospective" exhibit that finishes on February 7th, and an "Archibald Motley: Jazz Age Modernist" exhibit that ends on January 17th.
Their "Rachel Rose: Everything and More" exhibit ends on February 7th and their "Jared Madere" Exhibit ends on January 3rd.
So, our point is, go to the Whitney. Fall in love with some art, will you?
6. Museum of the Moving Image (36-01 5th Avenue - Queens)
You like movies, you say? Until you've been to the Museum of the Moving Image, we don't believe you.
The Museum of the Moving Image's aim is to expand public understanding and appreciation of the art, history, technique and technology of film, television, and digital media. They do this by collecting, preserving, and providing access to moving-image artifacts.
Does this all fascinate you? We thought it might. If that's the case, listen up.
They've got a "How Cats Took Over the Internet" exhibit that ends on February 21st. Their "Mutant Leftovers" exhibition ends on November 1st.
They've got a "Behind the Screen" exhibition that's ongoing, so you don't have to rush out to see it. Plus, they've got a "Jim Henson" exhibition that's coming soon. So, no rush on this one.
If the evolution of moving media gets you going, if you've always wanted to know how it all works, get yourself to the Museum of the Moving Image's gallery or one of their screenings, stat.
7. Bronx Museum of the Arts (1040 Grand Concourse - the Bronx)
kevincoval Mecca & it's prophets #southbronx #southsouthbronx #KoolHerc #BG183 #nycgraffiti #newyorkgraffiti #bronxmuseumofthearts
Admission to the The Bronx Museum of the Arts is totally free, which is radically dope. The Bronx Museum of the Arts was founded in 1971, and focuses on contemporary and 20th century works created by American artists.
They've got more than 800 paintings, sculptures, photographs, and works on paper, which is a ton, if you ask us. Plus, did we mention it's free to get in?
We're so all about these exhibits, which is why we want you to see them before they end.
Their "(De)(Re) Construct" exhibit ends on January 10th. "Trees are Alphabets" ends on February 7th, and "New Photography from Bangledesh" ends on February 14th. Plus, they've got more exhibits too.
Next time you find yourself in the boogie down craving some art, get out to the Bronx Museum of Art, alright?
Check out The Museum of Natural History Officially Set to Expand By 2020.
[Feature Image Courtesy Jim Jones Visuals]