MUSEUMS

SOAK UP SOME HIGH CULTURE WITH OUR RATHER HANDY GUIDE TO FIVE OF NEW YORK’S MUST- VISIT ART MUSEUMS

THE MET FIFTH AVENUE

One of the biggest museums on the planet, The Met – all two million sq ft of it – takes multiple visits to fully explore. The NY institution was founded on 13 April 1870 and is home to over 5,000 years of art from around the globe, taking visitors from Ancient Egypt right through to couture looks fresh from the runway. It also hosts the star- sprinkled Met Gala. We’re still living for Rihanna’s “omelette” dress.

Where: Fifth Avenue

When: Sunday- Thursday 10am- 5: 30pm, Friday & Saturday 10am- 9pm

Tickets: $ 25 adults, $ 17 seniors, $ 12 students

metmuseum.org THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

MoMA’s calling card is its incredible collection of art from the 18th century right through to contemporary works of today. Crowd- pleasers ( and queue- generators) include Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, Picasso’s Les Demoiselles D’Avignon and Salvador Dali’s “melting clock” masterpiece The Persistence of Memory. Need an extra incentive to visit? Admission is free on Fridays, from 4pm- 8pm!

Where: 11 West 53rd Street

When: Monday- Sunday 10: 30am- 5: 30pm Tickets: $ 25 adults, $ 18 senior, $ 14 students

moma.org SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright ripped up the rule book when he designed the Guggenheim, which opened six months after his death in 1959. Steering clear of conventionally “square” gallery spaces, Wright’s modernist monument is an inverted concrete “ziggurat” inspired by Ancient Egyptian temples. Seen as Wright’s pièce de résistance, the building features a sprawling spiral ramp and a domed skylight. Visitors are encouraged to ride the elevator to the top and follow the slope down as intended. Where: Fifth Avenue

When: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday 10am- 5: 45pm, Saturday 10am- 7: 45pm Tickets: $ 25 adults, $ 18 seniors and students

guggenheim. org WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART

Launched in 1931 by sculptor and art patron Gertrude Vanderbilt, the Whitney flies the star- spangled flag and is entirely devoted to the works of American artists. The Renzo Piano- designed building is neatly nestled between the High Line and the Hudson River – after moving from Madison Avenue in 2015 – and contains more than 22,000 works from the likes of Alexander Calder, Willem de Kooning and Edward Hopper.

Where: 99 Gansevoort St

When: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday 10: 30am- 6pm, Friday and Saturday

10: 30am- 10pm

Tickets: $ 25 adults, $ 18 seniors and students

whitney.org LESLIE- LOHMAN MUSEUM OF GAY AND LESBIAN ART

A cultural hub for the LGBT+ community, the Leslie- Lohman is the only museum in the world dedicated to the preservation of queer art. The venue was named after lovers Charles Leslie and Fritz Lohman, who used to hold exhibitions in their Soho loft and, during the Aids crisis of the 1980s, rescued the works of dying artists. With a collection of more than 30,000 objects, six major exhibitions are held each year. Where: 26 Wooster Street

When: Wednesday to Sunday 12- 6pm, Thursday 12- 8pm

Tickets: Admission is free with a suggested donation of $ 9

leslielohman.org