The Cloisters Museum

  

The Cloisters Museum and Gardens, a branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art is devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. Located in Fort Tryon Park, Washington Heights in northern Manhattan, it was assembled from architectural elements, both domestic and religious, that date from the twelfth through the fifteenth century. Structures at Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa, Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Bonnefont-en-Comminges, Trie-en-Bigorre, and Froville were all disassembled brick-by-brick before being shipped to New York. In the 1930s, the structures were reassembled in Fort Tryon Park. The images were taken during my recent visit to the museum on a snowy Saturday. The Cloisters boasts a collection of approximately three thousand works of art from medieval Europe, dating from about the ninth to the sixteenth century.

The Noguchi Museum in Long Island City

The Noguchi Museum in Long Island City is the first in America established by a living artist of his own work, containing the world’s richest holdings of Isamu Noguchi’s art. The Museum's goal is to honor and preserve the unique setting designed by Noguchi and to exhibit a core group of works for permanent viewing. The museum also features changing exhibitions and educational programs. It is located at 33rd Road, Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City.

The New-York Historical Society Museum and Library

Beekman Family Coach, ca. 1770

Tiffany lamps

"Fifth Avenue, New York City, 1906" painting by Colin Cooper

"From Here To There" by Antonio Martorell, an art installation about Puerto Rican immigration.  It includes a theater for projection of a documentary where the seats are dressed as immigrants so visitors can sit on their laps, literally placing themselves in their position.

Paintings of Grand Central Terminal by Howard Thain (American, 1891-1959)

After a $70 million renovation, the New-York Historical Society Museum and Library reopened last November. Founded in 1804, the New York Historical Society explores the political, cultural and social history of New York City  and State. It has a great collection of historical artifacts, works of American art and other historical materials as shown in the images I made on the fourth floor of the museum. The renovation added a children’s museum and new artifacts such as the ceiling from Keith Haring’s Pop Shop, as well as the 9/11 artifacts and photographs. The museum is located at 170 Central Park West between 76th and 77th Streets on the Upper West Side next to the American Museum of Natural History. 

Throughout January, the New-York Historical Society offers a $5 coupon off its regular $15 adult admission as part of its culture spot of the month designation by the city’s tourism bureau. The coupon can be printed online or picked up official NYC information centers and kiosks in Midtown, Times Square, Harlem and Chinatown. The museum regularly offers pay-as-you-wish hours every Friday night from 6 to 8 P.M.