Free day: Saturdays due to the Sabbath/Shabbat. For the same reason, the cafe and shop are also…read moreclosed, and there is a Shabbat elevator.
How long: 1.5-2 hours
Closest subway stop: 86th (4, 5, and 6), as well as the M101/102/103 buses
Anyway, all general museum stuff out of the way, I was here pretty recently with a couple of others last Saturday, as I was bored, and it's their free day. This museum used to be a lot tinier and less worth it, but since they expanded their third and fourth floor, it's a lot better now. As is pretty typical for us, we went upstairs and then down to the exhibit I wanted to see on the 1st floor. The top accessible floor consists of a continuation of the third floor (to be discussed later), a collection of Hanukkah lamps from around the world, a handful of artworks, and some touchable objects for kids and related. The lamps were the most interesting part, organized by region, ranging from across Europe to Africa and Asia.
The third floor is by far the largest, and you'll probably spend most of your time here. This is the general exhibit, and it is known as "Identity, Culture, and Community: Stories from the Collection of the Jewish Museum." From artwork to sculptures, there was a wide variety of pieces on various topics, ranging from humor and other light-hearted subjects to more serious topics such as identity and various references to the Holocaust. A particular highlight is a ~22-minute movie called "Anyuka," which goes over a Hungarian woman's life. I would go over the majority of things, but I think it'd be a run-on sentence from the sheer number of displays.
The second floor was the least interesting to me, but I think it could appeal to others. This more dimly lit floor was dedicated to the "Sacred Splendor: Jewish Ritual Art and Christian Treasures from St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague" exhibit, which went over as described. There was a mix of Jewish and Christian artwork and books, with a particular highlight on this floor being some very old and ornate Bibles and Torahs, including some gorgeous ones from long before the printing press. This exhibit is open until next February.
The main reason we went there is that a bunch of us love ceramics, which were featured in the first floor exhibit, "Modernity and Opulence: Women of the Wiener Werkstätte." Open until Nov 15th, this exhibit featured artwork and the history of these women, along with a couple of things by some of the guys who worked with them. As mentioned, there was a lot of ceramics, but there were also posters, clothing, and other things. You can find a good mix of photos from what I've uploaded if you're curious.
If I were reviewing this place several years ago, and especially when the third floor was under major construction, I'd probably give the spot a two or three, as it wouldn't be worth it at that price point. I would probably compare it to the Neue Galerie, which is a bit ironic, as there are some Klimt sketches in the current gallery. It's hard to complain, though, when it's free on Saturdays, and I think $25 isn't bad either compared to many other NYC museums.
