Museums
For the afternoons when you’re in the mood to see a thoughtfully curated show, these are your first and forever stops.
Last updated Jul 10, 2026
Big shows. Long runs. No rush.
These are the places you’ll return to. Some introduce emerging artists you'll be hearing a lot more about. Others feature artists whose work hangs in the world’s leading museums. And when you're ready to step outside, downtown is yours to explore.
Museums
6 Venues
ArtEast Village
Swiss Institute
Our go-to when we want contemporary art that's deeply thoughtful, beautifully installed, and quietly ahead of the curve. Part intellectual laboratory, part downtown sanctuary, it's one of the best places to spend an afternoon in the city.
38 St Marks Place
New York, NY 10003
ArtNoHo
Grey Art Museum
Come for thoughtful, richly researched exhibitions that transport you across cities, histories, and art movements. Stay for quiet galleries and work that makes you smarter. This is exactly what a university museum should feel like.
18 Cooper Square
New York, NY 10003
ArtEast Village
The Brant Foundation
Downtown legends, ambitious shows, and giant industrial architecture combine in one of the East Village's most unexpectedly great art spaces. Warhol, Haring, Basquiat, Kelley — the Brant Foundation feels like walking through the last forty years of contemporary art history.
421 East 6th Street
New York, NY 10009
ArtLower East Side
New Museum
The most contemporary of New York’s contemporary museums. It’s where we go to get to know the artists, ideas, and conversations shaping what’s new, what's now, and what's coming next, and feel slightly ahead of it.
235 Bowery
New York, NY 10002
ArtLower East Side
International Center of Photography (ICP)
A gorgeous (and relatively) new space for this historic institution. Visit for the best of NY’s socially and politically-minded photography, past and present.
84 Ludlow Street
New York, NY 10002
ArtChinatown
Museum at Eldridge Street
Be immersed in the Jewish history of the Lower East Side in this tenderly restored synagogue, where downtown artists weave the neighborhood’s past into shows and the building itself.
12 Eldridge Street
New York, NY 10002
Big shows. Long runs. No rush.
These are the places you’ll return to. Some introduce emerging artists you'll be hearing a lot more about. Others feature artists whose work hangs in the world’s leading museums. And when you're ready to step outside, downtown is yours to explore.
Museums
6 VenuesArtEast Village
Swiss Institute
Our go-to when we want contemporary art that's deeply thoughtful, beautifully installed, and quietly ahead of the curve. Part intellectual laboratory, part downtown sanctuary, it's one of the best places to spend an afternoon in the city.
38 St Marks Place
New York, NY 10003
ArtNoHo
Grey Art Museum
Come for thoughtful, richly researched exhibitions that transport you across cities, histories, and art movements. Stay for quiet galleries and work that makes you smarter. This is exactly what a university museum should feel like.
18 Cooper Square
New York, NY 10003
ArtEast Village
The Brant Foundation
Downtown legends, ambitious shows, and giant industrial architecture combine in one of the East Village's most unexpectedly great art spaces. Warhol, Haring, Basquiat, Kelley — the Brant Foundation feels like walking through the last forty years of contemporary art history.
421 East 6th Street
New York, NY 10009
ArtLower East Side
New Museum
The most contemporary of New York’s contemporary museums. It’s where we go to get to know the artists, ideas, and conversations shaping what’s new, what's now, and what's coming next, and feel slightly ahead of it.
235 Bowery
New York, NY 10002
ArtLower East Side
International Center of Photography (ICP)
A gorgeous (and relatively) new space for this historic institution. Visit for the best of NY’s socially and politically-minded photography, past and present.
84 Ludlow Street
New York, NY 10002
ArtChinatown
Museum at Eldridge Street
Be immersed in the Jewish history of the Lower East Side in this tenderly restored synagogue, where downtown artists weave the neighborhood’s past into shows and the building itself.
12 Eldridge Street
New York, NY 10002