Like the Whitney Museum, the New Museum of Contemporary Art is dedicated to innovation and newness in art. Unlike the Whitney, however, the New Museum expresses that dedication by focusing specifically on contemporary art rather than on the notion of "avant-garde." If you're interested in catching the work of emerging artists working on fascinating new projects the New Museum might be your ideal location to visit. Housed in a new building, which according to the architects was designed to make the shape of the interior transparent, this New York Museum has been noted by visitors and critics for the quality of light inside due to windows in unusual locations. This museum was founded in 1977, when it was the only museum of all on the New York museums list to focus on contemporary art. Over the past few years in existence at its location in the hip, artistic neighborhood of the Bowery, the New Museum New York has begun the careers of artists from countries all over the world.

Located at the heart of the Bowery, the New Museum New York is situated among a number of small galleries, museums, art house cafes and little stores in this (admittedly gentrifying) creative neighborhood. Even if it may not be affordable for most to live in any more, the Bowery nevertheless is home to a variety of fascinating locales. From the haunted Merchant House Museum to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum just around the corner, and other interesting neighborhoods in the area, visitors to this area are sure to find something interesting to do before and after their museum visit. Additionally, shopping at nearby South Broadway in SoHo provides a fun opportunity to get away from the contemporary art scene and into the contemporary fashion world. Trains to the New Museum are numerous, but the best one to take would be the J into the Bowery stop. However, other train stops near the New Museum are at Prince St., 2nd Ave - Lower East Side, Broadway-Lafayette, Grand St and Spring Street-Lexington. The lines serving these stops are the B, D, F, M, N, R, 4 and 6, so there are plenty of options for train travel to this New York museum.

As for the works of art you can see at the New Museum, the museum has hosted wonderful exhibits of contemporary art from all over the world. In the past 5 years the New Museum has exhibited art from more than countries from all corners of the earth. The wide variety make it a good chance that there is at least something that you'll like here. If you are a fan of modern or conceptual art, you are to find the New Museum to be a worthwhile experience. The radical sculptures, paintings, and mixed media work showcased here is sure to be interesting and informative.

Because it is solely focused on showing contemporary artists, the New Museum New York is unlike many New York museums in that it doesn't have a permanent collection. It is, like its seven-story architecture would suggest, simply a luminous space for the always changing pieces of art created by artists working today. At any given time, thousands of these works may inhabit the space of the New Museum. Because the galleries and exhibitions are always in flux, the New Museum is unlike any other museums in New York City in that you can always come back to see what’s new.

We encourage visitors of the New Museum of Contemporary Art to share their reviews, photos and videos of the museum with the broader NYC Museums community. The New Museum, more than any other on our New York museums list, is designed to spark conversation. So respond, then post your response at NYC Museums! We welcome any thoughts and feelings you might have toward a particular exhibit. Everything you share on NYC Museums helps our community enjoy the arts and culture of New York City, so share your content and help us add to the NYC Museums community.