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Brooklyn Museum
Rating Details »
200 Eastern Pkwy
(between Classon Ave & Washington Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11238
(718) 638-5000
(between Classon Ave & Washington Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11238
(718) 638-5000
- Nearest Transit:
-
Eastern Pkwy (2, 3)
Botanic Garden (2, 3, 4, 5, S)
- Hours:
Wed-Fri. 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
99 reviews for Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum of Art was on track at one point to be larger than the Met; but some high and mighty manhattanite declared that NOTHING in Brooklyn could be bigger so they actually passed some by-law to prevent the building from being bigger. Lame right?
I was a new 718 transplant at the time of the Sensation show that so rubbed Mayor Giuliani the wrong way. (if loving art is wrong then I don't want to be right) Many exhibits have come since them some memorable some not. With a new lobby renovation in the last few years things look quite good and the exhibition roster is looking up as well.
Went to see Who Shot Rock and Roll which I enjoyed. There seems to be a renovation going on the ground floor. Caught a glimpse of kiki smith during a lunch to honor her woo hoo!
Did not visit the cafe is there one still there? I hope they have made some improvements to that because it was sad last time.
Warhol the last 10 years is coming in June 2010 which I look forward to.
What's not to love?
Beautiful building. (With a great fountain outside.)
Great exhibits.
Eclectic mix of paintings, artifacts, sculptures and everything else.
Easy to get to. (Right off the 2/3 train.)
Overpriced crap in the gift shop.
$10 admission if you're an adult.
$6 if you can still pass for your student ID photo.
$1 if you can't afford that.
Free every First Saturday of the month.
This time, I went for the Who Shot Rock & Roll exhibit (running until the end of January). It's a celebration of the photographers who shaped rock by capturing it on film. It's intriguing to learn about the history behind the iconic photographs that became the best known album covers (among other things) in the world: London Calling, Abbey Road, Houses of the Holy, all the best Dylan albums...
The one photograph that resonated the most with me -- perhaps because of my age, perhaps because I've never seen it before -- is the one of Kurt Cobain, bawling his eyes out backstage after putting his guitar through an amp. It's raw, and real, and for some reason I can't imagine Creed, or whoever you kids are listening to these days, in that situation.
The photo that disgusted me the most was neither the pre-pubescent topless girl for the one and only Blind Faith album, nor the nearly nude Eminem shot. Rather, it was the picture of P. Diddy and Jay-Z. I suppose it's extremely telling about our generation, but a photo of these two looking at their Sidekicks...it isn't really rock & roll, as far as I'm concerned.
Great exhibit, though, and a fantastic museum.
When I lived across the street from the Museum I went once, now I remember why. It's a gorgeous building and a stunning structure, after the '04 reopening, but it's still disorganized and feels vastly empty. The Egyptian and middle eastern exhibits are great but outside of that, underwhelming. The gift shop seemed to have more interest than the museum. The Museum is both underwhelming and overrated! Go figure.
Some exhibits are by unknown or artists with virtually non name recognition, which is cool, but leaves me with a degree of uncertainty.
On a nice day, go to the museum climb the outside stairs and taken in the surround area. The public space out front makes up for the mess inside.
Save money go on a First Saturday when it's free. The subway (part of the station entrance was remodeled) lets you off right in front.
I wish the original stairs should have been recreated as, I think a museum should have a grand entry.
I am the kind of person who would give the Brooklyn Museum five stars just for having Georgie O'Keffe's "Ram's Heads White Hollyhock and Little Hills" in its collection. And that's as good a reason as any. Have you seen this painting? It's mind blowing.
But there is a lot more to this museum than only that. There's magic everywhere, from the actual architectural design of the building, which is breathtaking, to Isca Greenfield-Sanders' "Yellow and Black Parachute," a stunning piece of contemporary art, to a series of awesome rotating exhibits like "Who Shot Rock and Roll." To name but a few. I could go on, believe me, but I'll spare you. Yes, the Target first Saturday event is packed and a little claustrophobic, but there's something about roaming around (or squeezing through, as it were) the halls of a museum at 11pm that is just fantastic.
Be sure to check this place out. A little (or medium-sized, I suppose) gem in Brooklyn to be sure.
Finally managed to check out the Target Free Saturdays on the first Saturday of November. We arrived at the ticket counter and the lady mumbled something like suggested donation of $10 and free after 5pm. I was gonna simply give a buck or two but my date wanted to just chill and chat since it we'd only have to wait 30 minutes anyhow which was cool since there's plenty of outdoor seating at the promenade.
There were many small exhibits from different parts of the world from Africa to Polynesia. Saw a cool weird lookin thing with which a human jaw was utilized as something what looked like a medal of some sort. She didn't think it was that cool. lol
The three hundred and something watercolor stories part was pretty amazing, telling the story of Christ. While she appreciated the text I was genuinely amazed how much one can actually do with watercolor in terms of depth and detail compared to Asian art which is more simple. James Tissot: "The Life of Christ" was probably my favorite part of the museum.
Lastly the top floor had four walls full of classic European art mostly in oil. The floor was most impressive with it's high ceiling that I think it would've been nice if they utilized the space for sculpture art.
The day we went, there was a Rock theme and apparently there was a free ticket event to make your own percussion instrument which was probably what the lady at the ticketing place was babbling about. Darn it that we missed it! So it would seem that Free Saturdays and whatnot have a contemporary theme to the events, but I wonder how often do they change the main exhibitions.
Great place in B'klyn. Gorgeous building, amazing collections.
Beyond Judy Chicago's Dinner Party, everything else is gravy.
I *love* this museum, the exhibits are phenomenal and the collection is HUGE.
The reason I'm giving a mediocre review is that the staff can be pretty awful. And weirdly, when you approach the front desk, they seem to have a knack for putting the rudest ones at the side facing the entrance, and the friendlier, more helpful ones at the back. Last time I visited (I'm a member, and I go a fair bit), the people at the desk refused to even make eye contact to acknowledge I was waiting in line, so after standing there for a while I just eventually stomped on up, betraying my hillbilly roots, and basically had to force myself on these people in order for them to process my admission. Seriously?
Also, I've had some bad experiences with the museum shop. I came in specifically to spend a bunch of money (they have some gorgeous jewelry in there), and (a) there are often way too many people working in the shop (3 or 4 sometimes, and it's a tiny shop, so you're constantly tripping over employees and it's awkward), and (b) after I'd been browsing for a few minutes, one of the snotty little teenagers working the register asked her coworker, loudly, and complete with tortured sighing, "Is anyone going to actually BUY anything?" Aaaaand they got none of my business after that.
Like I said, I'm a member, I love this place, but the staff can be mild to moderately awful and also the front entrance and surrounding area are often chock-full of creepy people trying to hand you propaganda, especially on the weekends.
My suggestion is, just get inside, bring your iPod (they have free wifi and iPod-friendly features for many of the exhibits, so cool) and interact with as few humans as possible.
$1 gets you in unless of course you feel the urge to go by suggested prices, yes I don't like to pay 15 when i can get it for 1 [first sat of each month is free].
Lovely owls greet you from above, get an f/1.8-1.4 and you're good to go, special love to the splash wall art in left wing first floor, lion in the lobby and 2nd floor glass floor, stunning. After the two floors at the left wing, the right wing has five floors, a collection of history from the Africa, Asia and Europe continents, plus some beautiful art paintings.
Fifth floor, the glass art piece right by the elevator [see pics], when you break it out, consider a courtesy call, maybe I can afford it [lottery perhaps], a little similar to the glass flame at the Rockefeller Center lobby outside of the Rose Lounge, going for $250,000.00 to me this is worth twice as much as the flame - not that i agree for one minute that $250k is even close to a logical price.
Monet, Monet, Mon-ey. This place exhibits some wonderful impressionist works. It gets even better on the first Saturday of the month when Target so generously sponsors free Saturday night admission complete with local bands (good ones) featured and a dance party in their main atrium. I guess that's why things are so expensive at the Atlantic Terminal branch. Super fun time, as all are welcome, its an all age mix fest and I loved it. 8 year old dance star, diva Gramps, and little Indie boy blue too all dancing in one circle. Couldn't get any better. Well that's not true, the booze could be a bit cheaper. However, it was free entrance. Guess that makes me an asshole for complaining. Asshole.
Excellent exhibits. Lots of interesting things to see and not too crowded (at least it wasn't too bad when I went). Loved the paintings, especially the ones by Goya and Degas. The new one just added from Picasso and the Monet are nothing to sneeze at, but hey, they are the big names so gotta show the respect.
The Egyptian exhibits was one of my favorites but the mummy did creep me out a bit. The feminist exhibit on the 4th floor was inspiring and I loved looking at different rooms and the way they were originally decorated from eras past. People back in the day were really big on no cluttering.
My only problem was the price. $10 suggested price! The really scary thing: People paid the full price. Why God! Why!
Suggested price means, the museum would like you to pay that much, but you don't have to. You can pay as little or as much as you want.
Next time you see the words "Suggested Price" anywhere, ignore the admission price and pay what you want.
I'm begging you.
Exhibits are well-put together. Worse time to come is on the Target free day... SO many people, hard to see anything! People running into you, can't breathe, suffocation... hee haw hee haw... don't hyperventilate!
The collection was impressive considering it's not in Manhattan, and can definitely give many a museum in smaller cities a run for their money.
Went here last year with a friend to review an exhibit on Japanese art for a class. Yeah, we're engineers, but we were subjected to taking liberal arts classes to make us realize there's more to this world than physics, triple integrals, and finding inventive uses for duct tape, although at times I disagree with that.
Before that, I think the last time I went was elementary school.
There's a lot to see, but not overwhelmingly so, and there's a lot of down-to-earth explanations of what things are and the history behind them (but without dumbing it down too much or getting into too much artsy-speak).
I would definitely consider going back to see the museum in more depth.
I would highly recommend a subway trip out to this amazing mueseum in a great building with very thoughtfully put together exhibits. I really liked how some exhibits mixed music with the collection. Staff was really enthusiastic and cool and I loved feeling like we had the run of the muesum on a Saturday in Spring.
A Mr. Softee van was parked outside for ice-cream treats. My only question has to do with the nineteenth and earlier century home reproductions in the museum. What is the story behind these?
This place is magical
I knew that I was missing out when I finally arrived at the museum for the Target 1st Saturday this past weekend. Well worth me getting lost among the one-way streets (bane of my existence; always manages to get me messed up when I drive to Brooknam).
As mentioned earlier, I was supposed to come to check out the various events for Target's 1st Saturday. As February is Black History month, and due to the historic election of our first mocha president, there was a panoply of exhibits, talks and music celebrating African-American culture. I especially liked the series of portraits of prominent black NYers on the main floor (the Black List Project).
What I also liked a lot was the dance party featuring music by James Brown mixed in with afro-caribbean funk. So cool, but so crowded. I ended up escaping with the DP to the 2nd largest Egyptian artifact collection in the US.
Although there was no Temple of Dendur, I liked that you could get pod casts of the backgrounds of the displays and that everything seemed a lot more accessible than the exhibits at the Met.
I had a really good time here and I want to come back. This time though, I'm taking public transportation in.
This is a great museum.
I love the architecture and the openness of it all.
I went on a saturday and believe it or not it was not crowded at all! I imagine if i had gone to either the Met or Moma there would be crowds up the wall. And because of this you can take much more time and have a much more intimate trip if you are on a date...
Its has a lot of interesting objects for display if your into that kind of thing as well as a great selection of artwork on the lower levels.
Definately worth a trip if your not down for huge crowds at the Met or Moma.
How did I live in New York 15 years and never come here till yesterday?
I actually hate museums (as some of you might remember from my first ever postings on this talk thread: http://www.yelp.com/to...). I think that lately they have become too invested in their archival and educational activities, have been less active as innovators of art, and have forgotten entirely that art is enjoyable and sometimes even -- heaven forfend! -- entertaining.
The Brooklyn Museum on the other hand has a very non-pretentious, populist feeling about it with the temporary, long-term, and permanent exhibits to match. Of the temporary, I came to see the Gilbert & George exhibition (killer, by the way -- don't miss it) and ended up catching Jesper Just and The Black List, as well. Just among those three shows, programming ran the gamut from high (but accessible) art to entertaining video programming to stunning photography of populist African-American icons.
I didn't stop there. I ended up strolling through the Sackler Feminist art gallery -- part of the permanent collection. That fact that such a room even exists deserves great praise. The fact that you can see Kara Walker next to Kiki Smith, surrounding Judith Chicago means bonus points. It had the feeling of being chock-full of work (kind of like a group show or something), but I liked that and noticed a similar curatorial style as I walked through the African, Pacific Island, and other galleries. The collection may not be comprehensive, but it is certainly diverse in all the right ways. It reminded me of walking through my friends' studios or something -- a really personal feeling to the work and presentation. A far cry from the white walls, hermetically separated pieces, and harsh lighting of the Guggenheim and the Whitney (barf and barf some more).
The Shop was also nothing to sniff at, but I'm not that into Museum shops. Suggested donation is only $8, coat check is free, the 2/3 stops right out front, and if you arrive between 11 - 2 you can easily avoid crowds.
I could go on forever -- I ended up there for hours, as you can probably tell. So I'll just end it by saying that even the Museum Cafe had some surprises: 1) not that expensive, 2) GREAT veg selections including a tofu salad with cabbage, carrots, edamame, and a ginger-soy dressing that was absolutely delish, and 3) G.U.S. sodas.
All in all, despite it being a 1-hour trek from my neck of the woods, I will definitely be heading out there whenever there's an exhibition I want to check out. I highly recommend taking a trip -- you won't be disappointed.
seriously a place to visit. Murakami exhibition was great. Might take a hot date back to see some stuff.
Not only is the collection vast and the temporary exhibits extremely well put together, the building itself is magnificent. I've yet to make it through even a third of the place after two visits. Kudos for the feminist art wing, the Caillebotte exhibition, and the decorative arts collection.
It's never been crowded when I've visted. I wish I could say the same for The Met or the MoMA.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/30/2008
It's huge. I only made through two floors before it was closing time but this is probably my… Read more »
This is a wonderful alternative museum. I was surprised by the size, it is cheap ($8) for how big the collection is.
My favorite part was the Visible Storage section on the 5th floor. It showcases the vast number of works held by the museum and it gives a little insight into how the facility functions. There is some amazing retro furniture and small trinkets from past eras.
Also, Gilbert & George exhibition!
I've been to the Brooklyn Museum so many times, I'm surprised that I'm just now getting around to reviewing it.
So, here's the deal... I used to hate the Brooklyn Museum. I thought it was boring and the exhibits sucked. I can appreciate the traditional stuff, but honestly I'm more into contemporary art and it seemed like they didn't have any of that going on. But that was about three or four years ago... somehow this place exploded with... um... greatness! And interesting exhibits! And fun!
They had a graffiti exhibit a couple of years back that was absolutely amazing.
The Sackler Center for Feminist Art is awesome and always evolving!
First Saturdays are hit or miss. I've seen some good movies at some First Saturdays. But sometimes, the lineup just isn't that interesting. If anything, go to watch the people (there are some characters as well as some cuties *wink wink*, if you're going there for that sort of thing!)... go to get hyped up before you head off to another party... go for the experience. You just have to make your own fun.
This is one of my favorite museums in NYC.
It's very hip as only Brooklyn can be. The art is youthful and vibrant. I love to sit out by the fountains and relax.
It's free every first Saturday of the month and closes at 11 p.m. Lots of free programs during this time.
If you have never been to the Brooklyn Museum, definitely plan a visit... Great for any occasion - with your date, with kids, with friends, without friends, with empty brain which wants to get inspired, with art loving heart, with fun loving soul, without pets (I guess they won't let them in :)
It's a museum so there's obviously a lot of art stuff, which BTW is amazing. But even if you're not a "Renaissance paintings" fan, you'll always find something to like - they have great program every first Saturday each month, just went there now in March (no admission :) We checked out the party upstairs, the Egyptian exhibition etc..., real cool evening.
Also, the place looks awesome, in and out, exposed brick and modern updates inside, cool landscaping outside :)
Please avoid reviews of the Brooklyn Museum by Manhattanites who neglect the city of Brooklyn, and show up merely because of an exhibit by a celebrity artist like Takashi Murakami (2008). These are the folks who'd choose to honor a genius of Picasso's standing by purchasing neckties or coffee mugs crudely emblazoned with scenes of his work.
My first trip to the museum came after two days on the Museum Mile. Having relied on the recommendations of Manhattanites, I assumed that I visited much of the great art New York has to offer. But a friend from college encouraged me to head to the Brooklyn Museum, and I--petered out by art at this point--reluctantly agreed.
I am glad I did.
As it turns out, the Brooklyn Museum needs no traveling exhibit to justify its place of pride in New York's art world. The building itself is crafted in somewhat of a restrained Beaux Arts style by the acclaimed architecture firm of McKim, Mead & White. As a strong enticement, the museum is connected to a larger system that includes a park, botanical garden, library and zoo!
The museum's permanent collection includes centuries of treasures from the ancient/classical era (their Egyptian rooms are great), Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, while its contemporary work is modest in breadth (as compared with its counterparts in Manhattan). Some may take issue with the institution's practice of loading artifacts into a number of period rooms (especially those covering periods in which they are particularly strong), but few would suggest there is a shortage of work to be seen, studied and appreciated.
During a visit, a friend of mine whose a Brooklyn local took me to a Target First Friday (hence, sponsored by Target). Amazing museum and free reggae night was mellow and amazing. Great vibe, hip crowd.
I HEART NYC!
http://www.brooklynmus...
We came on a hot summer day, and were surprised at the AC's weakness. Isn't art supposed to stay cool and dry?
Perhaps the most hilarious work we saw was Judy Chicago's "Dinner Party." It's a giant table set for dinner, and on each plate is a different vulva. As in, "For our main course, we have ceramic vulva":
http://www.brooklynmus...
My husband was a totally uncomfortable in the room, but I thought it was a hoot.
I've seen some good special exhibits here, including some amazing Murakami pieces, and Click!, a crowd-curated photo show based on Surowiecki's Wisdom of Crowds. Luckily the photos are still online, where you can compare art experts' vs. novices' evaluations: http://www.brooklynmus...
We liked the jazz concert out in the sculpture garden. Check the website for upcoming events.
Target first saturday. The first saturday of every month the museum has a great program. Definitley come check it out.
I love that the permanent collection of art and artifacts at the Brooklyn Museum is organized by region of the world -- it's like taking a little world tour as you wander from Egyptian art to Islamic art to Chinese art to Japanese art. You can even sense how one culture's artistic output influenced that of the next. Fun fact: the oldest surviving example of Peruvian textile is in the Brooklyn Museum.
Free Target First Fridays are a great time to visit and check out the latest new exhibits and watch the locals dance to world music. The main entrance, renovated in the past few years, is a cool juxtaposition of modern architecture against the classical design of the building. There's also a rad fountain.
I love the Brooklyn Museum. First off, it's really not that hard to get to, despite what people say. I mean, come on, it has its OWN stop. How hard can this be? Secondly, it's never that busy. This is the biggest challenge of the NYC museum. Though there's obviously amazing art being displayed, you can hardly see it through the throngs of people (and their cameras). This is not a problem at the Brooklyn Museum, unless you go soon after a new show opens (as in within a day). Finally, it's actually an amazingly well organized museum with great resources, information, and perhaps the greatest exhibition design of any museum I know of.
Not only do you see art spaced throughout time and location, like at most places, but the Brooklyn curators have selected works that seem out of place (and are definitely temporally different) but that work with a theme or relate in subject to what is going on in the main narrative. This makes you actually ENGAGE with the time-based narrative in a more direct way. It makes every viewer think about what they're looking at, no matter how knowledgeable about art history you are (I'm cheating here; I am getting my MA in art history, but still.. museum education is where I want to be so I think this is of utmost importance). For example, you're walking through the American art gallery, timed at basically the 18th century, and there's a portrait of a woman painted by a woman. She's lovely, well-costumed, etc. And next to her are two different Cindy Sherman Untitled film stills, works from the 1980s that relate to feminism and questions of narration and issues of high and low art. More beautiful women as captured by a woman (the same woman, actually...). It's brilliant. And then later, in the 19th century, there's a gorgeous marble female nude spaced out from the wall by several feet. On that wall is a George Segal of a nude facing into the wall, made of plaster of Paris, the sculptural material as completely opposite in every way from marble, created by an absolutely non-academic artist, compared to a lovely, serene, strictly academic female nude. Amazing! I wish I could have been a part of this organization.
And then there's the Elizabeth Sackler Center... a museum finally had the balls to put Judy Chicago's Dinner Party on permanent display, and in a way that is truly helpful, educational, and appropriate for the monolithic effort of Chicago and her team. The accompanying galleries also outline the work of women artists before and since, and the developments in feminist art. The contemporary galleries are strong, and the traveling shows vary but are always impeccably hung and designed. It's a great space for art of any kind, and they know how to handle it.
And that's not all- there's a complete diverse array of exhibitions of the permanent collections. Though it's not all overwhelmingly strong, like it would be at the Met, it's always clearly displayed and informative. And whenever you need to take a break, the cafe is pretty huge and usually quiet. I usually make a day of it and sit in the cafe after a couple of floors for awhile, and then head back out.
But seriously, even if you only want to see one thing, and have a couple of hours to do it, go. And if you have more time, spend it there. You'll probably get more out of it than crowding through the cattle herds at the Met or MoMA, as amazing as those museums may be.
the brooklyn museum is like an old friend to me, someone who i can always count on, yet will surprise you from time to time with some new pearl of beauty or wisdom.
the ancient peruvian textiles and precolumbian artifacts are wonderful.
i also love the african and asian artifacts. there is one african chair that i've coveted for years.
the fountain sculpture is fabulous and brings strangers together as they watch the water spouting up at different intervals of time and space.
the last exhibit i saw there, was a major disappointment to me. (murakami) so much hype, some mildly amusing pieces but enough already-overkill- i get it o.k.?
they have great art classes for children -part studio part "art history" and the unlucky children have all partaken in and enjoyed the aforementioned. i believe they also have scholarships for these classes which is a wonderful thing indeed!
First Saturdays presented by Target = Free admission every first saturday of the month!
Right now they have the murakami exhibit... the japanese anime artist who has worked with pop icons like kayne west... is presenting at the brooklyn museum till july!
The cons: packed house... extremely crowded
The pros: it was free! got to see a lot of cool exhibits... the feminist pieces were very interesting to say the least! they have a dj and serve alcohol!
Just another reason why I love the borough I live in! Brooklyn Museum is great. I love their collections there, and the building itself. It warms my heart to see kids playing in front to the fountain. It's also a great meet-up spot before you venture around the neighborhood.
Target First Saturdays are always a crowd gatherer and a great way to check out the latest exhibits, meet new people and just have fun.
I came here to visit the last day of the Takashi Murakami exhibit and was completely blown away. The space for the exhibition was more than generous and provided more than adequate space for life-sized resin models, multi-paneled murals, rooms plastered with wallpaper, and even a Louis Vuitton boutique.
Getting to the Brooklyn Museum from Manhattan wasn't too bad either, and even though we got here at around noon, the wait in line was brisk (on the way out, however, the line looked nightmarish). Given the right exhibit, I'd totally come back.
The dance party at First Saturdays is the most diverse club in New York.
$5.25 for a Brooklyn Lager.
The Met this is not. Hell, this isn't even the Whitney (oh, yeah, I went there). This is a strange little museum. I went a few weeks ago to see the Ron Meuek (sp?) and Annie Liebowitz exhibits - both of which were very interesting for VERY different reasons. But the Museum itself seems very...almost disorganized. From what we could tell, the permanent collection didn't seem to have a natural flow or structure too it, but what do I know. I saw what I came to see.
Four stars for hosting awesome exhibits, getting me out to Brooklyn, being INCREDIBLY easy to get to via the subway (because I was not looking forward to having to wander around Brooklyn...), and for being housed in an absolutely stunning building. I doubt I'll come back, though unless there's another particular exhibit I want to see.
Few things sadden me as much as going to a very promising art exhibition and seeing the installation of said exhibition completely at odds with purpose and intent or even visual flow. With so many overly educated art people out here in NYC, you'd think some of them could get it together and deliver astounding, nay even just solid exhibitions. Alas.
3 stars for being so insanely easy to get to via the subway. Exit the station and BAM you're there. Awesome. There is no reason why people shouldn't get their lazy asses out of Manhattan and visit some art elsewhere, ie off the island.
No additional stars for several reasons.
The building itself is a confusing mess of architecture. And I don't mean that in the fancy pastiche sort of way. From the stately facade to the ultra modern enrty/lobby to the Pier One-ish bazaar museum shop -- this place is having an idenity crisis. Needless to say, 'tis not ideal for seeing art.
But my major complaint is this: the exhibition spaces have no regard and no relation to the art on display. I would have been sorely disappointed had I been the artist Ron Mueck and seen my otherwise arresting art installed in such a way. Kind of unforgivable. The work is outstanding and can stand on its own but so much power was taken away in this poor installation. Sad.
See the WHITNEY or better yet the DIA BEACON for supreme examples of art defining space and space defining art. That relationship is CRITICAL in viewing work. You want art to feel accessible (forget the Met, UGH!) and you want to see a relationship in how things are set together - or apart - in space -- what makes these collective things an "exhbition" and why we choose to put this Edward Hopper painting in this small alcove as opposed to in a large vaulted loft like space. Is like CURATOR 101, here people.
Forget it. GET THEE TO DIA: BEACON NOW!! (Also easy to get to via train). Go NOW. Even if you hate their collections from the 1960s/70s, you will at the very least appreciate the insightful architecture that was built purposely to house these specific works.
I went for the Ron Mueck exhibit, which was really good, sort of creepy and had a very interesting and informative video. Of the permanent collection, I mostly only saw the indigenous arts of the Americas from Peru, the Plains states and the Pacific Northwest. This section was far from extensive, but the pieces they had were fascinating and made for a really excellent sample.
The building itself is quite lovely and very easy to get to from the subway. One of the most interesting parts of the museum is outside, near the parking lot and the oddly-proportioned Statue of Liberty replica: a sort of fenced-in sculpture cemetery, with broken bits of architectural details in stone, concrete and terra cotta; an equestrian statue of an American Indian; and old-fashioned street lamps lying on the ground, among other things. I don't know what they have planned for all this stuff, but it was cool and I wanted to steal some of it.
Oh, yes, and they had two-for-one admission if you showed them a Metrocard, so the two of us got in for a suggested donation of $8. What a deal!
First trip in Brooklyn for me, the place was amazing but since it was Target First Saturday, too crowed. that's why i am giving 4 stars.. =(
couldn't finish all the exhibits but i will go back. I swear!
I only had time for Gypsy guitar concert (those 3 guys.. wheeee~ @.@) and Ron Mueck's art works and his working process through the screen. it was really good opportunity to go there, and I enjoyed it..
That's all!
I'm biased because I work here! But I love taking people to the Brooklyn Museum! it is much more "manageable" than trying to see the entire MET in a day (which is impossible). At the Brooklyn Museum, you can definitely see everything in a day. There are also lots of great exhibitions that change often and draw great crowds! (Check the website!) Still--even with exciting exhibits, you'll never find the Brooklyn Museum to be "crowded" like other museums in Manhattan.
Also, little known fact: the Brooklyn Museum and its surrounding grounds has free wireless! So bring your laptop and do some work while looking at the lovely fountain, or sitting in the grass!
An added bonus: it shares its parking lot with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, so you can make a day of going to both!
This must be the most underrated and overlooked museum in the NYC area. No, it is not The Met or The Guggenheim, but it doesn't pretend to be The Met or The Guggenheim.
I had a really great time here viewing the Ron Mueck exhibit, followed by the Annie Leibovitz exhibit, followed by the somewhat bizarre paintings of Walton Ford. It was not crowded in the least, and just when you're getting a little tired, a comfy spot with cushions pops up so that you can sit down or even lie down.
And it was only $8 to get in. I'm sure I'll be back many times, as this is now my favorite art museum. As others have mentioned, the Botanical Gardens are next door, so you can easily make a day of it.
