The Brooklyn Museum of Art

The Brooklyn Museum is the second-largest art museum in New York City, and one of the largest in the United States. When you think of the premier institutions of art, Brooklyn Museum features among the first few names. Its permanent collection that showcases Classical, Egyptian, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art, arts of Africa, the Pacific, and the Americas includes more than one-and-a-half million paintings, sculptures, drawings, and photography. It is home to some of the most famous pieces by Matisse and Henri Fantin-Latour, Tait, Steir, Glackens and Arthur B. Davies.

The 560,000 square foot Beaux-Arts building that houses the Brooklyn museum attracts more than 500,000 patrons every year. The museum’s location is central and it is only a half-hour away from midtown Manhattan and if you are coming from downtown Brooklyn, it won’t take you more than 15 minutes from to get here.

The Brooklyn Museum was opened in 1897 by Augustus Graham. The steel frame structure, a beautiful example of classical masonry, was designed by McKim, Mead, and White, a very famous architectural firm, and built by the Carlin Construction Company. The pediment sculptures and the monolithic 12 1/2 foot figures that you see along the cornice were designed by sculptor Daniel Chester French. All the figures were carved by 11 different sculptors.

In case you are planning on visiting Brooklyn Museum, there are a number of tours that you can choose from. Public tours that are free with admission are organized daily. There are also audio tours that are offered to the patrons via cell phone or MP3 player. These are restricted for the permanent collection galleries and a few of the selected special exhibitions. There are programs for school groups as well.

The Museum Café offers light snacks to the patrons. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. You are not allowed to carry outside food into the museum. Large groups of more than 15 people need to make prior arrangements to enter into the café.

On your way out, you can browse through the unique gifts on display at the Museum Shop. The proceeds from the purchases of these ethnic, artistic, and historical products go towards exhibitions and educational programs of the Museum.

• Address: 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11238-6099
• Phone:  718-638-5000

Admission Fee:

• Suggested Contribution – $8
• Students with Valid ID: $4
• Adults 62 and over: $4
• Members: Free
• Children under 12: Free

Museum Hours:

• Sunday – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Monday and Tuesday – Closed
• Wednesday to Friday – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday – 11 a.m.to 6 p.m.
• First Saturday of Each Month – 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

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