New York Public Library (USA) – description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.
The white marble building on Fifth Avenue is the main building of the New York Public Library, the remaining 86 branches are scattered throughout Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island. It was organized at the end of the 19th century by combining the funds of the public collection of directories of the millionaire John Astor and the private collection of the philanthropist James Lenox. There are currently 53 million copies of printed matter in the catalogs. Visiting the library is free, any New Yorker can get a library card, which is used by tens of millions of people every year. See itypetravel for geostatistics of Nevada.
What to watch
A wide staircase leads to an entrance in three arches between columns that support a cornice with 6 allegorical figures of philosophy, religion, poetry, drama, history and romance. The marble lions on both sides of the steps were given names in honor of the founders of the library. The one on the left is Lady Astor, the one on the right is Lord Lenox.
The interior of the main reading room is just as magnificent. Shelves filled with books occupy 15-meter walls, light penetrates through high windows, luxurious chandeliers are turned on at dusk, lamps with brass lampshades are on the tables. The carved wood ceiling is decorated with frescoes on antique themes.
Any book in the vault falls into the hands of the reader in a few minutes. Most of the materials are digitized and available via the Internet, but there are also those that are allowed to work only in the reading room. The pride of the collection is the first printed bible by Johannes Gutenberg and the draft of the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson.
Practical Information
Address: New York, 5th Ave, 476. Website (in English).
How to get there: by metro to st. 5 Avenue-Bryant Park Station; by buses No. M1, M2, M4, M5, M55 to the stop. 5 Av & W 41 St.
Opening hours: Monday and Thursday from 8:00 to 20:00, Tuesday and Wednesday from 8:00 to 21:00, Friday from 8:00 to 18:00, Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00 Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. There is free Wi-Fi.
Whitney Museum
Whitney Museum (New York, USA) – expositions, opening hours, address, phone numbers, official website.
The Whitney Museum of American Art, founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt, invites its visitors to get acquainted with all kinds of US art of the 20th century. and modernity. Particular emphasis is placed on the exhibition of works by living artists. The museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, describing and exhibiting exclusively American artists, and its collection is undoubtedly the best in the world. And in the biennale, which the museum holds on a regular basis, it is an honor to take part in all contemporary authors of the country.
Innovativeness has been a hallmark of Whitney since the beginning of his work. It was the first museum dedicated to the living artists of America and the first museum in New York to have a video exhibition as its central display (the Nam June Paik exhibition in 1982). The first exhibitions of such eminent artists as Jasper Johns, Cy Twombly and Cindy Sherman were also held in Whitney. The museum consistently acquired works in the year they were created, often before the author was widely known. In addition, the Whitney was the first in America to introduce a collection exchange program (with the San Jose Museum of Art).
The museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, describing and exhibiting exclusively American artists, and its collection is undoubtedly the best in the world.
The museum building was designed by the architect Renzo Piano. It is located between the High Lane and the Hudson River. This is a spacious and functional asymmetrical building, which also looks very modern. Inside there are about 4600 m² of exhibition space (plus another approximately 1200 m² on the terraces that overlook the High Lane). The gallery for special exhibitions has an area of approximately 1600 sq. m. m, plus a special gallery is open on the top floor. The building also includes a learning center, a multipurpose theater/cinema with an adjoining open-air gallery, another theater with great views of the Hudson River, a library and a papercraft learning center.
There is a restaurant on the lower floor of the museum, and a cafe on the upper one; both are run by celebrity restaurateur Danny Meyer.
The Whitney Museum’s collection includes more than 21,000 works by more than 3,000 artists. These are paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, films and videos, installations, as well as new media works (with about 80% of the collection being works on paper). The earliest exhibits date back to 1900, and new ones are constantly replenishing the museum’s funds.
The Whitney Museum’s Special Exhibitions Gallery is the largest columnless museum gallery in New York City.
The museum collection is based on the personal collection of the founder, Gertrude Vanderbilt, which consisted of about 600 works. Among them were mostly the creations of Mrs. Vanderbilt’s contemporaries, the young artists she tried to support: Peggy Bacon, George Bellows, Stuart Davis, Charles Demuth, Mabel Dwight, Edward Hopper, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Reginald Marsh and John Sloane.
The first school of painting, represented by the works of the museum collection, is the Ashkan school. The later masterpieces of the collection reflected all the main trends in the art of the 20th century. in the US, including Modernism and Social Realism, Precisionism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Minimalism and Postminimalism. Today, Whitney maintains close relationships with key contemporary artists or their representatives. Among them are Alexander Calder, Glenn Lygon, Bryce Marden, Agnes Martin, Georgia O’Keeffe, Claes Oldenburg, Ed Ruska, Lorna Simpson and David Wojnarowicz.
Practical Information
Address: Gansevoort street, 99.
Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday and Sunday from 10:30 to 18:00, from Thursday to Saturday from 10:30 to 22:00.
Buy a ticket to the museum online.
Entrance: 25 USD for adults, 18 USD for students and pensioners, children under 18 years old – free admission.