 Mark Dahle's tips for visiting New York art galleries and museums
Jackson Pollock's One at MOMA. Here are some tips for looking at art in New York. And by New York, I mean Manhattan. There's great art all over the state. But just seeing what's worthwhile in Manhattan takes more than a week.
1) If you only have a day, forget everything else and go to MOMA, the Museum of Modern Art. Nothing else compares. If you're there on a Friday evening, you can get in for free, thanks to Target.
There's a special incentive for going now: A Willem de Kooning exhibit is on display through January 9, 2012.
Also include a trip to L&M Arts at 45 East 78th St. Every time I've visited, the gallery has had an outstanding exhibit. The gallery is within two blocks of Gagosian Gallery at 980 Madison Ave. #6; Helly Nahmad Gallery, 958 Madison Ave.; and Gerald Peters Gallery, 24 East 78th St., all great galleries worth visiting if your time is short.
2) You'll never find all the New York art galleries unless you have a gallery map or guide. Many Manhattan galleries look like residential houses from the outside. There's no neon, no signs, no shop windows, no clues you're at a gallery until they buzz you in and you see the art on the walls.
People walking through Carlito Carvalhosa's Sum of Days at MOMA. 3) Some galleries (and their doormen) won't appear to want you inside. But you're there to see art, not to be liked. So don't let their attitudes bother you and enter smiling, even if they're hanging a show. Once in a while you'll be able to see several million dollars worth of art before security politely escorts you out. The vast majority of the time, however, you'll actually be welcome.
Robert Indiana's Moon at MOMA. 4) If you have three days or more, I recommend a side trip to Brooklyn to see Dinner Party by Judy Chicago at the Brooklyn Museum. It's one amazing art project. Catch the 2 or 3 subway from Manhattan and exit at Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum.
Jean Tinguely's fragment from Homage to New York at MOMA 5) When I go to New York, I see all the art I can until 7 p.m., then head to Broadway for a play. It makes a great day, especially if you can string several days like that in a row. Tickets are often available the day of the show, but if you want to see a current hit, you'll have to book in advance.
The TKTS booth in Times Square has half price tickets on the day of the show; their selection changes daily. Get tickets for the most popular plays on Tuesday; they won't be available Friday or Saturday. Now a tip you may not expect if you've been reading theater reviews: If you like art, you've got to see Spiderman on Broadway. The script, music and acting are all average -- okay, but not great, although there are standout moments scattered throughout the production. (Patrick Page is exceptional as Norman Osborn, the scientist who becomes the Green Goblin.) But the sets? Amazing, amazing, amazing. It is worth the full price of admission just to see the sets. This play is by far the best art exhibit in New York at the moment.
Frederick Kiesler's Totem for All Religions at MOMA 6) If you're able to choose the time of your visit, you may want to arrive on a week that also features an art event (like the Armory Show and Scope NY, March 8-11, 2012, or Pulse May 3-6, 2012). But won't need to do this to have all your time filled with great art. 7) If you can, skip August and the first week of September. 95% of the Chelsea galleries are closed in late summer and about half of the galleries in other areas are closed. 8) If you're in Manhattan on a Sunday, go to Times Square Church for a lively worship service. The church was started by David Wilkerson, who wrote The Cross and the Switchblade about his ministry to New York gang members. David died this year, but his legacy lives on in a lively church in a very unlikely setting.
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Meatpacking District, New York. © Mark Dahle 2011
Meatpacking District, New York. © Mark Dahle 2011
Park 24 Hrs., New York. © Mark Dahle 2011
New York. © Mark Dahle 2011
Meatpacking District, New York. © Mark Dahle 2011
Reconstruction, New York. © Mark Dahle 2011
Meatpacking District, New York. © Mark Dahle 2011
Meatpacking District, New York. © Mark Dahle 2011
High Line (Meatpacking District), New York. © Mark Dahle 2011 |
