New York is renowned for having some of the most famous and popular museums in the world. It's always interesting to gain an insight on the city's culture and recognise what art works are being shown there. There were so many museums to go see but I narrowed it down to; the Guggenheim, New Museum on the Bowery and MOMA (Museum of Modern Art). Unlike London, museums in New York city are not free and all have varied admission fees or you could become a member to gain free access.
The Guggenheim
When visiting any museum, I always take interest in the architecture of the building as it already is an art form in itself. The Guggenheim museum located on the upper East side of New York is a perfect example of this. I think that's the main thing people remember about this museum, is for it's unique cylindrical building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, which is ironic as it seems as though it overshadows what's actually in the museum. Nonetheless, the Guggenheim was overwhelming on first impressions and has become one of the 20th century's most important architectural landmarks. Admission fee for Adults for the Guggenheim was $20. However I had paid $10, which was half price to the usual fee as they were currently setting up the installation of 'Art of Another Kind' (international abstraction and the Guggenheim 1949-1960), featuring pioneering artists in the post world war II era. On the other hand, other Exhibitions on view at the moment were intimate black & White photographs by American Photographer Francesca Woodman and 'Being Singular Plural' by seven innovative and contemporary artists working in India today. Both exhibitions offered a different emotion through film and photography, whether dark or profound, but I thoroughly took interest in exploring the artist's experiences and story through their displayed works.
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| Guggenheim Museum- Photographs by BernsyLuv |
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New Museum
Lucky for me the New Museum was conveniently located near myself and MissGracieC's apartment in the East Village. Just a few blocks down from us, you can enjoy a nice stroll to the Bowery, where the museum is. The overall building stands out on this street as it looks like a stack of metal boxes and currently on the front there stands a 28 foot tall rose titled 'Rose II' by German artist Isa Genzken. This is part of New Museum's ongoing Facade Sculpture program since the building's completion in December 2007 by architectural firm SANAA. Works at the New Museum were very much up my street in the sense of contemporary and dynamic pieces of art that reminded me of the types of work I encountered when I was studying Graphic design. Whether it was sculpture, print or digital media, they visualised a modern portrayal of graphics within a current generation using everyday materials. The 'Ungovernables' exhibition at The New Museum was a perfect example; features 34 artists/ artist groups born between the mid 70's and mid 80's, which 'embraces the energy of that generation's urgencies', which are formal, philosophical, material and ideological. New Museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and admission is $14 for adults.
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| New Museum- Photographs by BernsyLuv |
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MOMA (Museum of Modern Art)
When you come to New York, one of the most famous museums people will recognise is the MOMA. Situated near the infamous Fifth Avenue in mid Manhattan, it has become a landmark for many people visiting the city. It was developed since the early 20th Century and often identified as the most influential museum of modern art, displaying various collections including architecture, drawing, design, painting, photography, prints and electronic media! MOMA houses some familiar names and I had the chance to view some works from pop artist Andy Warhol, Picasso and Jackson Pollack. One current exhibition that stood out to me was 'Printin' that included print works by American artist Ellen Gallagher and also features artists such as Vija Celmins and David Hammons. The use of mixed medias; prints, cut outs, plasticine and even toy eyeballs produced an interesting collage like pieces in a series framed on the wall, which I found compelling and inspiring for my own kind of style of work. Other ongoing exhibitions included works by photographer Cindy Sherman and painter James Rosenquist. MOMA is closed on Tuesdays and admission for adults is $25.
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| MOMA- Photographs by BernsyLuv |
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