Whitney Museum of American Art

What is arguably the finest collection of 20th-century American art in the world belongs to the Whitney, thanks to the efforts of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. A sculptor herself, Whitney organized exhibitions by American artists shunned by traditional academies, assembled a sizable personal collection, and founded the museum in 1930 in Greenwich Village.

Today’s museum is an imposing presence on Madison Avenue—an inverted three-tiered pyramid of concrete and gray granite with seven seemingly random windows designed by Marcel Breuer, a leader of the Bauhaus movement. The permanent collection consists of an intelligent selection of major works by Edward Hopper, George Bellows, Georgia O’Keeffe, Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns, and other significant artists. A second-floor space is devoted exclusively to works from its permanent collection from 1900 to 1950, while the rest is dedicated to rotating exhibits. Shows are usually well curated and more edgy than what you’d see at MoMA or the Guggenheim (though not as left of mainstream as what you’ll find at the New Museum). Topics range from topical surveys, such as "American Art in the Age of Technology" and "The Warhol Look: Glamour Style Fashion" to in-depth retrospectives of famous or lesser known movements (such as Fluxus, the movement that spawned Yoko Ono, among others) and artists (like Mark Rothko, Keith Haring, Duane Hanson, and Bob Thompson). Free gallery tours are offered daily, and music, screenings, and lectures fill the calendar.

Note: 2012 is the next Whitney Biennial, a special 4-month long exhibition that is a major event in the contemporary American art world. Reputations are made and lost here. Curators Elisabeth Sussman and Jay Sanders will literally scour the country, visiting artists’ studios to make their picks of what they think is the best new art around. There is inevitably some controversy about the choices—some of the work is beyond original—and that’s all part of the fun. If you’re here between March and the end of June, you might want to have a look and offer up your own opinion as well. As the name indicates, it only happens every 2 years.

Nights at the Museum -- Most Friday evenings in the summer, it’s “Whitney Live,” dedicated to the performing arts and featuring concerts and a “pay-as-you-wish” admission (6-9pm year-round).

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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