Albany Institute of History & Art

The Albany Institute offers a number of exhibits but it is notable for its collection of paintings from the Hudson River School of Art. If, like me, your interest in that subject is lukewarm, it rates three stars. If you are really into the Hudson River School, this is an important resource and a must-see five star attraction.

See also our review of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area.

Cute museum but a bit small, it was still good to experience. On the weekend, there is free street parking, so we luckily got a spot right in front. For weekdays, there are meters or garages around.

There are a few exhibits, and the Hudson River room was really spectacular and had so many paintings in a room that really set a nice mood with its deep purple walls. There was an exhibit on maritime art that was more contemporary, but it was interesting to see the variety of paintings on the same theme. There's a section of Egyptian history and some 19th century sculptures. There's a current exhibit of the time capsule under the Philip Schuyler statue. While interesting, the statue was destroyed for unfortunate reasoning, even though the resulting exhibit has really great artifacts from 1920s.

The gift shop is good, but the cafe is either not open at all or not on weekends, but you can grab water and chips as needed. The gift shop attendant was very nice, and we got some nice merchandise. For $10 a ticket, the collection is eclectic and the variety gives everyone some focus to enjoy.

Small museum but great collection of Hudson Valley School artists. The marble gallery is also great. We didn't care for the current contemporary artist but some might really love the pop art exhibit.

It's a small place and an hour is enough time. I wish the cafe had more options. Just drinks and some sweets.

Front desk staff was awesome and enthusiastic!

We drove up to Albany from our Catskills Mountains retreat to check out their collection of Hudson River School landscapes. The modestly sized collection on display provides a great overview of this niche genre. Those who love it will be satisfied, those who don't know much about it (like me) will be educated.

In addition to the main gallery, an exhibition of contemporary seascapes and water related paintings was on display on the main floor. Some were quite trite, a few were stunningly engaging, all displayed technical mastery of the artist's chosen medium, and I enjoyed the chance to see them.

A pleasant surprise were the nine Lookalikes dioramas by Joan Steiner on display throughout the museum. I spent more time engaging with them than any of the other artwork on display. Check them out if you can--they are amazing.

The only thing out of place was the Egyptian collection including the "Albany Mummy." Apparently there's some local history behind the acquisition of the mummy -- but in my opinion, such artifacts belong to (and in) the country and culture of origin. I'm okay with replicas for educational purposes in appropriate settings, but displaying the real thing in a museum that focuses on local and regional art harkens back to an era of imperialism and exploitation of non-European people and their culture.

A gem in the historic center of Albany, we went to their Wyeth Exhibit, which included works of NC Wyeth, the patriarch, his son Andrew, his daughter Henrietta, and his grandson Jamie. It was a real pleasure to see the work of this artistic American family, which is on loan from the Farnsworth Museum in Maine. My girlfriend obtained tickets online for Sunday, the only day the museum was open during our short visit, since it's usually closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Parking is free at the museum lot. There's also a permanent collections of Hudson River School paintings, and you cannot miss revisiting the "Albany mummies" in their Egyptian Relics collection. That's where I first learned of Egyptian faience, an early type of pigmented glass utilized in ornaments and jewelry. There's also an exhibit on women's frocks and wedding dresses from the roaring 1920''s well worth your perusal.

i loved this museum! its a good size to get through in an hour. they have a nice seating area where i ate my lunch. they have a cute gift shop. the staff is very friendly too. it was 10.00 admission which is perfect.

Updating with pics. I tend to write the reviews on my computer but have pics on my phone...

This is a lovely building with nice exhibits. I am so glad we have it in Albany. It is small and easily visited in a day trip that combines other activities.

The APL has library passes, which I highly recommend using if you can. If not, they have First Friday free admission. Of course, I also advise donating or paying admission if you can, but if you're on a budget, those are great wallet-friendly ways to check out a great little museum.

They have mummies! This is a cool place to tour. They truly have something for all tastes. We loved the Mummy room where they have one completely wrapped and one partially unwrapped so you can see how well preserved they are. Downstairs is eccentric art, while traditionalists will love the upstairs. You can take the stairs or use the elevators. Something for all tastes and ages.

Mr. Ross at the front desk is a welcoming ambassador to a great collection of Hudson Vally art. Highlight was a special exhibition of dioramas from a series called Look-a-like. Overall a great experience.

Great place to spend an hour wandering and woolgathering on a rainy or snowy afternoon (during the limited days they're open--Weds-Sun only).

This is a regional/provincial museum in the truest sense: most of the items on exhibit are either about Albany, created by an Albany artist, or donated by an Albany collector. There isn't much good art here but lots of history and the collections are well curated with helpful and informative labels for the most part. There doesn't seem to be any "permanent" display and right now they have a collection of curios from the vaults including some truly strange stuff like a collection of hair jewelry (that's jewelry made of hair) and a miniature Indian trading post complete with little tiny Indian artifacts.

Admission's a bit steep at $10 but there's free parking in the back, and other reviewers have mentioned it's free on First Fridays. (But it's better to go on a regular price day when you'll virtually have the place to yourself.)

Oh, don't forget the Egyptian "gallery" (a small side room) that contains a counterfeit mummified cat (xrays established it's actually a dog; cat mummies were in such high demand that other animals were frequently substituted) and the unwrapped human mummy that has given nightmares to generations of Albany schoolchildren. Bwaah!