NYC Guide: Best Current Museum Exhibits

NYC has some of the best museums in the world, and they feature some of the best exhibits in the world.

Here’s what’s happening now at large and small NYC museums, including FREE or pay-what-you-wish admission on some days.

Aerial view of Whitney Museum of American Art_nyctravelguru — Photo: Whitney Museum of American Art

Whitney Museum 10th Anniversary Events

The Whitney Museum of American Art presents Decade Downtown, a series of on-site public programs and events spanning ten weeks, to celebrate ten years of the Whitney in the Meatpacking District.

Since May 2015, the Museum has called this neighborhood home in its Renzo Piano– designed building at 99 Gansevoort Street.

As part of a neighborhood rich in history, creativity, and cultural exchange, the Whitney has played an integral role in contributing to this vibrant cultural center on Manhattan’s west side by bringing art, ideas, and community together with its state-of-the-art exhibitions, education programing, free admissions initiatives, and strong engagement with partner organizations and neighbors.

There’s also a great restaurant with an outdoor terrace.

May through mid-July
See the full schedule of events here.

Flaco, the Eurasian eagle owl which captivated New Yorkers_nyctravelguru — Photo: New York Historical

Year of Flaco the Owl at New York Historical

Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl captured the hearts of New Yorkers during his yearlong travels across Manhattan. He is celebrated in this exhibition at The New York Historical.

The Year of Flaco visits the remarkable journey of this resilient raptor, who became a New York City icon after escaping from the Central Park Zoo.

The exhibition features photographs and video documenting Flaco’s flight and his new life in the city, along with letters, drawings, and objects left at a memorial beneath Flaco’s favorite oak tree following his death one year ago on February 23, 2024.

It also examines the dangers faced by birds in urban environments, legislation inspired by Flaco’s legacy, and practical steps for creating safer cities everywhere for wildlife.

As part of this tribute, a related installation in the Audubon’s Birds of America Focus Gallery highlights owls, primarily those native to New York, offering additional insights into these majestic creatures.

Also on view is Pets and the City, a history of New Yorkers and their animal companions, featuring a specially commissioned portrait of Flaco.

New York Historical is the new name of The New York Historical Society.
New name, but same fascinating museum a 77th St. and Central Park West.
Through July 6th

Also at New York Historical –

Women’s History Month was in March is so last month, but this exhibit about the clothes women wear, and what they mean, is timeless.

“Real Clothes, Real Lives: 200 Years of What Women Wore” explores more than what keeps us warm or in fashion. They also say something, including in direct ways like “I’m mourning” and indirect ways like “screw the status quo.”

This exhibit digs into how clothing has played a crucial role in the lives of everyday women and how women have influenced, adapted and defied societal expectations through clothing. There’s an array of women’s clothing, from a Depression-era house dress to a psychedelic micro mini to an Abercrombie & Fitch wool suit from 1917, but not a ball gown in sight.

Through June 22nd

Shirley Chisholm historic photo — Shirley Chisholm

Changing the Face of Democracy: Shirley Chisholm

To commemorate the centennial of the birth of Shirley Chisholm (1924–2005), the Museum of the City of New York and the Shirley Chisholm Project at Brooklyn College present the first major museum exhibition on the life and legacy of this pioneering politician and New Yorker.

The first Black woman elected to Congress and the first woman to run for president on a major party ticket, Chisholm emerged from a unique constellation of New York networks.

Set against the broader landscape of New York politics, Caribbean communities, and Black women’s activism, this exhibition explores Shirley Chisholm’s life, from her early years in Brooklyn and Barbados to her lasting impact on U.S. politics.

Follow Chisholm’s political career from her 1964 election to the New York State legislature, her 1968 election to Congress, and 1972 run for President, and explore the still-relevant issues she worked on, including education and childcare, rights for migrants and workers, abortion access, and racial and gender equality.

With the 2024 election cycle in mind, learn about Chisholm in her own words and through an array of historical artifacts, art, photographs, and video; glimpse into her life through hands-on interactives; and reflect on Chisholm as both an inspirational figure to subsequent generations and a change maker whose work remains unfinished.

The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) is at Fifth Avenue and 102nd St., closed Sundays
Click here for more information about the exhibit and tickets
Through July 20th

S0lid Gold at the Brooklyn Museum

Do your bling thing in Brooklyn.

This shimmering exhibit covers 200 years of gold jewelry, gold fashions and more. It’s a feast for the eyes.

Tickets are required.
Through July 6th

ecoxplorer tip –

The Brooklyn Botanical Garden adjoins the Brooklyn Museum. Make it a two-fer by visiting both the same day, especially during cherry blossom season.

Glittering multi-colored stone brouch by Van Cleef & Arpels_evelynkanter.com — Photo: Van Cleef &: Arpels via AMNH

Cosmic Splendor: Jewelry from Van Cleef & Arpels at AMNH

More bling, at the American Museum of Natural History.

For millennia, people have been moved by the grandeur of space to explore the workings of our universe—and to create captivating works of art such as this spiral clip that’s composed of rubies, diamonds, platinum, and rose gold.

This stunning assemblage of astronomy-inspired jewelry showcases more than 60 handcrafted jeweled wearables – that’s a modern description for jewelry – and celebrates our enduring fascination with the cosmos.

Visit the Museum’s Meister Gallery, part of the Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals, to see this dazzling display.

FREE with museum admission.

Rembrandt portrait of Jewish heroine Esther_nyctravelguru — Courtesy Jewish Museum

“The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt” at the Jewish Museum

Esther was a heroine who helped save her people. This new exhibit at the Jewish Museum examines how the heroic story of Queen Esther shaped Dutch art and culture during a time when Amsterdam became a safe haven for many, including Jewish immigrants who had the liberty to celebrate Purim more openly in the Netherlands than in their previous homelands.

Don’t miss this floor-through major exhibition, co-organized with the North Carolina Museum of Art.

More about the exhibit and ticket information here.
Admission to the Jewish Museum is FREE on Saturdays
The Jewish Museum is at Fifth Ave.at 92nd St.
Through August 10th

Graphic of A Century of The New Yorker magazine exhibit in NYC_nyctravelguru — Graphic courtesy NYPL

FREE Exhibit on A Century of The New Yorker Magazine

In this new major exhibition, The New York Public Library brings to life the people, stories, and ideas that made The New Yorker.

Opening to coincide with the 100th birthday of the magazine, “A Century of The New Yorker” draws on the Library’s collections, which include The New Yorker’s voluminous archives and the papers of many writers and artists who contributed to it, to survey a hundred years of life at the magazine—and show how it has informed our understanding of almost every aspect of society.

At the main branch of the NYPL, on Fifth Ave. Look for the two stone lions out fromt.
More information here – https://on.nypl.org/newyorker100
Through August 2026

FREE – New Yorker Magazine Posters About Commuting

Whether you love or hate commuting, whether it’s by subway, bus or car, you’ll love this exhibit that pokes fun at it.

“Commentary on The Commute: A Century of The New Yorker’s Transportation Cartoons,” explores how the magazine’s famed comical drawings have explored this subject over the past 100 years.

Find it at the New York Transit Museum’s outpost inside Grand Central Terminal.
Through Oct. 26th.

Image of new exhibit at the 9/11 Museum in NYC_nyctravelguru — Image Credit: 9/11 Museum

9/11 Memorial and Museum

Remembering Sept. 11, 2001 – The World Trade Center redefined the city’s skyline and developed modern New York. Learn the story in a new exhibition at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

The 9/11 Museum is currently open six days a week, 9am to 7pm (plus select Tuesdays). Explore at your own pace, and plan to spend at least 45-90 minutes.

Bring tissues. Some exhibits are not appropriate for very young children.

The 9/11 Museum is adjacent to the FREE 9/11 Memorial Plaza, with the famous waterfalls. That is open to the public 8am to 8pm daily.
The museum is not free. Tickets for the 9/11 Museum can be purchased here up to six months in advance.

Image of gallery at newly-renovated Frick Collection in NYC_evelynkanter.com — Photo: The Frick Collection

The Frick Collection Re-Opens

The Frick Collection reopened in April after a two-year multi-million dollar renovation to its historic home, Henry Clay Frick’s ornate Fifth Avenue mansion.

It has taken that long for curators and designers to re-install the precious items, which includes works by Fragonard, Holbein, Rembrandt, Turner, Vermeer, and Whistler, as well as significant sculptures, Chinese porcelain, Oriental carpets, bronzes, and other decorative arts objects.

Tickets are available for purchase to experience the newly renovated buildings, garden and paintings and sculptures.

The temporary former space – known as Frick Madison at 945 Madison Ave. – is the Brutalist building designed by Marcel Breuer, which was the Whitney Museum of American Art before that moved downtown to new digs in Chelsea. The building has been purchased by Sotheby’s, to become offices and an exhibit area for auctions.

The re-opened Frick Collection is at 1 East 70th St.
Take a room-by-room walk-though, with lots of photos, in this NYTimes article.
The museum is open until 9pm on Fridays, with live music and special programming.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 25+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.