If you are an art lover, New York is one of the best places in the world to get your fix of world famous galleries and museums, all within a relatively short distance of each other. For those who are used to seeing the exhibitions at our national galleries, the thrill of being able to see artworks you’ve known from books or reproductions, in person, cannot be underestimated. It's easy to be overwhelmed with the choice of galleries and if you’re on limited time, it’s hard to choose where to go!
The direct flights to the West Coast, Houston (or Chicago - from November 18) with Air New Zealand has opened up the East Coast significantly making New York an even more attractive holiday destination.
Some of our favourite stops in New York included Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) which has amazing selection of blockbuster pictures including works by Picasso and Vincent van Gogh and Monet as well as 20th century heavyweights such as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. Other art forms are exhibited here such as photography, prints, books and multi media. The famous Museum of Modern Art shop is definitely worth a stop as some of the items for sale there have become modern icons in their own right. There are also a choice of three different restaurants if you have time for lunch, dinner or drinks.
The serene grandeur of The Frick Collection provides a lovely respite from hustle and bustle of the streets of New York. The collection of paintings, ceramics, furniture and rugs is housed in a 19th century mansion with a lovely garden and once belonged to Henry Clay Frick, who bequeathed his collection and house to the nation in the 1920s. Much more traditional in focus than Museum of Modern Art, the Frick collection includes Dutch old masters and French and English 18th century artists. The Frick Collection also welcomes international touring exhibitions so you may be able to see even more than the permanent collection if you pay a visit. Guided tours are available and well recommended.
Don’t leave New York without stopping at The Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art) even for a few hours. Although you’d need days to do it justice, the Met has something for everyone including antiquities, furniture, jewellery, clothes, paintings and sculpture. If you’ve only got a short time, pick your favourite area and concentrate on that otherwise you will literally be running through the different galleries trying to see everything.
So put your walking shoes on, look out for the Business Class airfares to New York , bring lots of money for the gift shops to take home postcards of everything you like and ENJOY!