Agora Gallery exhibited the 40th Chelsea Fine Art Competition recently. The art works here were…read morevaried and interesting. Out of all, three were particularly fascinating. "Fault Line" was a face that to me resembled a Russian ballet dancer. Composed with fine bone structure. I couldn't help looking at this painting. "Immersion 3" shows a woman with her slim damp arm and evening wear. "Beauty is the Beads" shows an African man presumably a Masai with a spear and a multitude of necklaces with beautifully colored beads. Sculptors and paintings were all here and I enjoyed this show.

They appear to be running an art contest scam, baiting and switching, and inducing artists to…read moreapply, but not stating that there is a large application fee. They manage a shell nyartcompetitions.com This is a formal complaint regarding NY Art Competitions due to a lack of clear and prominent disclosure of a mandatory $55 submission fee during the initial stages of the application process. The fee was only revealed at the final step after I had already invested significant time completing the submission. This created the impression of a bait-and-switch or drip pricing structure, where material cost information was not clearly presented upfront, resulting in applicants proceeding through a lengthy submission process without full awareness of the financial requirement. I spent a significant amount of time completing the application under the assumption that all key participation requirements, including fees, would be clearly disclosed at the outset. This lack of upfront transparency led to unnecessary time expenditure and confusion regarding the true cost of participation. I am requesting improved disclosure practices so that all mandatory fees are clearly and prominently stated at the beginning of the application process before users are required to invest time or submit materials. I am also requesting deletion of my submitted materials and personal information from their system and confirmation that this has been completed.

I visited Lévy Gorvy Dayan last Saturday for the first time after reading about their current…read moreexhibit in the New York Times. The gallery is located in a very grand, very beautiful Beaux-Arts townhouse on East 64th. It's so beautiful, the building itself is a highlight of any visit to the gallery. But the exhibits when I visited were great, too. I was able to see two exhibits during my visit on Saturday. "The Adventure of Domenico Gnoli," the exhibit I read about in the Times, closes on May 23, 2026. It's the largest exhibit of the artist's works in the United States in more than 5 decades (since his solo show in NYC in 1969). (Gnoli died of cancer at age 36 in 1970, so he only produced ~ 150 paintings in his short life.) The other exhibit I saw (you have to take an elevator from the second floor) was Armig Santos: Baladas, which closes on June 13. I appreciate the clean look of the galleries, which they are able to achieve by not having any wall labels by the pieces. They do have a few printed gallery guides at the desk where you enter that you can grab or you can scan QR codes on the wall as you enter each gallery. But I did miss the additional context and information that other galleries and museums include at the beginning of and throughout an exhibit. Still, the galleries are beautiful, and the works were very interesting. The Gnoli works surprised me and made me smile. And I appreciated learning about Armig Santos, a very young artist from Puerto Rico. It's a beautiful gallery with some great exhibits. I enjoyed my visit and have already signed up for their email list so I can visit upcoming shows!

It's only been about four months since my last visit to this (free!) gallery, with the gorgeous…read moretile and beautiful architecture, but they managed to come up with another riveting show that I just had to check out. This time the show focuses on New York art in the 80s, highlighting Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and over 20 more artists. Some things you can expect--Basquiat's pieces bursting at the seams with color, accompanying dark social undertones. Andy Warhol's pop art portraits of himself. Keith Haring's chunky shapes and figures. There are paintings, sculptures and multi-media pieces, as well as photographs (some a little alarming, like how old is that naked person, were they old enough to give consent?!). All the pieces are edgy, raw, colorful, just like the 80s. While there is a virtual guide to tell you which artist created which piece, there is not history or explanation, and that's a little frustrating for some of the more abstract or controversial pieces. This gallery has now impressed me twice in a short period of time, so it'll be on my regular rotation list to check out every time I'm on museum row.

This museum is a hidden gem in Queens, a "mini-Met" if you will. Exhibiting a balance of changing…read morecontemporary to historical exhibitions, as well as examples drawn from their permanent collection of over 7,000 objects, this museum on the campus of Queens College is always worth the visit. It's not accessible by direct transportation but a bus from subways at Main Street or Jamaica will get you there. Fascinating events and programs both virtually and in-person engage the New York City community at large.

Christie's 20 Rockefeller Plaza…read moreNew York, NY 10020 This prestigious auction house is located in the heart of Rockefeller Center. Throughout the year, different types of memorabilia are on display to the public before being auctioned. During my visit, I saw a wide variety of memorabilia from the Jim Irsay Collection. This included movie props, screenplays, music, sports, and autographs. I was especially impressed when I witnessed the Golden Ticket, a signed Babe Ruth baseball, and The Beatles drumset. Admission is free and complimentary cookies and coffee are served in the lobby. Due to the value of the merchandise, all visitors must pass through a metal detector. Large size bags are not allowed in the gallery, but they may be left at the Coat Check. The only disadvantage is that the exhibitions are temporary. If there is a specific exhibit you wish to view, drop everything and head over immediately before the souvenirs are sold. #jimirsaycollection #christiesnyc #christiesnycauction #rockefellercenternyc #christiesauction

Came here for an exhibit and it was alright. I'd say most of the stuff are overpriced for their…read moreauctions. Perhaps I am not wealthy?! ; )

A great, ongoing effort by NYU to present fine art to the general public…read more Not a conventional gallery, which can be intimidating to a lot of people, the Windows are an open forum for passerbys to view exceptional art by young and established artists. Broadway Windows is a set of (I think) six windows wrapping around the corner of Broadway and East 10th Street that display sculpture and other art work by artists who use highly inventive techniques. The work on display changes about every two months and is on view 24 hours when installed. Most of the artists exhibited use nontraditional materials (rope, coat hangers, cardboard...) and most of the works have an alive, organic energy about them. The Windows consistently show work that is both challenging to sophisticated art types and appealing to casual viewers, too. It's a perfect example of how to do public art right. NYU offers a counterpart to Broadway Windows, which is over at Washington Square Park. It's called Washington Square Windows, appropriately enough.

Very interesting park. Right on water and nice views. Very big green spaces. Also right by the…read moreNoguchi museum which I recommend checking out.

Discovered Socrates Sculpture Park on a visit to the Noguchi Museum down the block. Awesome to…read moreexplore this 5 acre riverside park that exhibits a range of eclectic larger size sculptures. Socrates also has some open space to also enjoy the view of Roosevelt Island and Manhattan on the other side of the East River. My favorite sculptures there are John Ahearn's painted bronze "Raymond and Toby," "Daleesha," and "Corey." Nearby, you'll also find a Free Store that perhaps has something to take home. (Full disclosure: I did not check out its actual contents.) "The Cubes," a new permanent building in the park, provides administrative offices as well as multi-use additional space. Socrates Sculpture Park was a nice surprise!

Two weeks ago Helga and I went to The Drawing Center in SoHo. Located on Mercer Street, this…read moregallery has exhibits year round. We were here to see the artwork by a Roma artist who had been incarcerated at both Auschwitz and Ravensbruck. Ceija Stojka's "Making Visible" exhibit was painful to view. She had painted a few growing up with caravans and horses and a pleasant life. Then the paintings of being in a concentration camp were dark and ominous. Each painting had a tiny red swastika and some with dark skeletal figures were brooding. This artist started painting years after her release and was not famous during her lifetime. Anna and Valerie work at the Drawing Center and were able to give us answers to our questions. An artist had seen her paintings and chose to exhibit them. A talk about the paintings was also going to be held.

I visited the Drawing Center this past weekend to see their current exhibit, Ceija Stojka: Making…read moreVisible. It functions as a gallery, with a few connected rooms. It's definitely on the smaller side, but it's large enough to house some pretty comprehensive exhibits. Although they focus on drawings, the exhibits aren't so limited - and you might find some work that surprises you. The facility is modern and bright and has a small gift shop where you enter. It's free to visit, so there's no need to stop by the desk where the employees sit. It would still be nice to be welcomed when you come in, but the service wasn't very welcoming or friendly (even when I made a purchase at the gift shop at the end of our visit). The exhibit we saw was incredible. I highly recommend visiting if there's an exhibit that interests you. I'll be back for another exhibit in the future, I'm sure.

I was continually seeing ads for Luna Luna pop up in my social media feed, so I checked out the…read morewebsite and was in awe of the carnival, larger-than-life vibe it appeared to offer. I gathered some friends, found a 20% off discount code, and we all headed over to The Shed's sprawling, modern space to check it out. Upon entering The Shed, we were basically in a large lounge, which also had a bar and various seating arrangements. My friend and I grabbed a drink at Cedric's, the downstairs bar, and waited for the rest of our group to arrive (please see separate review for Cedric's at the Shed - https://www.yelp.com/biz/cedrics-at-the-shed-new-york-3?hrid=CELSOa2pnnpkj01Q1f57fQ). When we were all settled up, we headed up the escalator into the 2 large showrooms. The story of the exhibit was interesting, in that the amusement park art display from various talents had debuted in Germany in 1987. There had been plans for it to travel the world, but after the curator, André Heller, passed away, many of the pieces had been tucked away in shipping containers to only be discovered recently. Overall, the exhibit was full of colorful and fun pieces, though I wish there had been even more interactive elements. If I had not been there with a large group, I probably could have made it through the two spacious rooms in a half hour. However, we took our time, as there were some circus-type performers that would wander around every so often, and we wanted to witness the show. All in all, we were there for about an hour, which was more than enough. I felt that Luna Luna was definitely lighthearted and amusing, but I would not really call it a must-see.

I like looking at random things and partaking in random activities so this was right up my alley…read more From having gone to a variety of interactive and non interactive art situations this is a little on the pricier side. I bought the tickets at the venue to avoid the random online fees. There was a lot of cool info about the history of Luna Luna, artists, pieces. I was super confused about Drake being involved but then again not surprised...diversify your portfolio LOL. There were a couple of things to walk into and experience, a lot of reading, you can't actually ride any of the rides. The view from the Butterfly Bar on the fourth floor was super cool! I'm a fan of infinity type of rooms so to see the 2 rooms that you could go into and interact in be that type...I enjoyed! Took us about an hour and a half to walk thru it and read things. Kids were there but I don't know if it makes sense to bring younger kids, I would probably pass on doing that.