Museum Shopping

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

From fine jewelry to art kits for children, the gift offerings at museum shops are rich in creativity. In addition to traditional posters, notecards, and books, the museum shops find clever items inspired by both their temporary exhibits and permanent collections. Featured below are some of the best gifts at ten popular museums — along with a reminder of what’s in the galleries, too.

MUSEUM: WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART: 945 Madison Ave. at 75th Street, 800-WHITNEY, Wednesday–Thursday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Friday, 1–9 p.m. (6–9 p.m pay-what-you-wish admission), Saturday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.

ON THE WALLS: “Kiki Smith: A Gathering, 1980–2005,” through February 11; “Albers and Moholy-Nagy: From the Bauhaus to the New World,” through January 21; “Picasso and American Art,” through January 28.

IN THE SHOP: After the “Picasso and American Art” exhibit, DVDs such as “Jasper Johns: Ideas in Paint” ($24.99) and “Jackson Pollack: Love and Death on Long Island” ($19.95) can provide greater exposure to the American painters featured.

MUSEUM: GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM 1071 Fifth Ave. at 89th Street, 212-423-3500, Saturday–Wednesday, 10 a.m.–5:45 p.m., Fridays, 10 a.m.–7:45 p.m.

ON THE WALLS: “Spanish Painting From El Greco to Picasso,” through March 28; “Lucio Fontana: Venice/New York,” through January 21.

IN THE SHOP: Wearing modern art around town can be subtle with a silk chiffon scarf bearing Lucio Fontana’s 1961 painting “The Sky of Venice” ($65) — or bold with a tie bearing Vasily Kandinsky’s 1926 “Several Circles.”

MUSEUM: DAHESH MUSEUM OF ART 580 Madison Ave., between 56th and 57th Streets, 212-759-0606, Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., open until 9 p.m. first Thursday of every month.

ON THE WALLS: “Napoleon on the Nile: Soldiers, Artists, and the Rediscovery of Egypt,” through December 31.

IN THE SHOP: This museum offers neckties with an artistic touch: The Medallion series was inspired by the “Prisse d’Avennes,” a 19th century book of patterns, and the Fortuny collection celebrates the early-20th-century designer Mariano Fortuny ($42).

MUSEUM: THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART 1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd Street, 212-535-7710, Sunday, Tuesday–Thursday, 9:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m., Friday–Saturday, 9:30 a.m.–9 p.m.

ON THE WALLS: “Americans in Paris, 1860–1900,” through January 28; “Cezanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde,” through January 7; “Glitter and Doom: German Portraits from the 1920s,” through February 19; “Sean Scully: Wall of Light,” through January 15; “Louis Comfort Tiffany and Laurelton Hall: An Artist’s Country Estate,” through May 20.

IN THE SHOP: Musical jewelry boxes with images of paintings are a daily reminder of artistry. The Met offers a black lacquer box with a detail of Tiffany’s leaded-glass window “Wisteria” that plays “Für Elise” and another bearing John Singer Sargent’s “Madame X” that plays Variation No.18 from “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” $60 each).

MUSEUM: RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART 150 W. 17th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, 212-620-5000, Monday 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Wed 11 a.m.– 7 p.m., Thursday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Saturday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.

ON THE WALLS: “I See No Stranger: Early Sikh Art and Devotion,” through January 29; “Take to the Sky: Flying Mystics in Himalayan Art,” through January 8; “Mongolia: Beyond Chinggis Khan,” through April 16.

IN THE SHOP: Intricately carved Rajasthani dolls are excellent examples of Indian workmanship in wood. Six dolls, each playing a different Indian instrument, can be purchased as a set ($350) or individually ($65).

MUSEUM: THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART 11 W. 53 St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-708-9400, Saturday–Monday, 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.,Wednesday–Thursday, 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Friday, 10:30 a.m.–8 p.m.

ON THE WALLS: “Manet and the Execution of Maximilian,” through January 29; “Brice Marden: A Retrospective of Paintings and Drawings,” through January 15. “Out of Time: A Contemporary View,” through April 9; “Eye on Europe: Prints, Books & Multiples/1960 to Now,” through January 1.

IN THE SHOP: This design-centric shop features the glass Flexus Menorah — designed by the father-daughter team of Herbert & Jeanne Atkin — which can be used during Chanukah or as individual candleholders throughout the year ($120).

MUSEUM: THE JEWISH MUSEUM 1109 Fifth Ave. at 92nd Street, Saturday–Wednesday, 11 a.m.–5:45 p.m, Thursday, 11 a.m.–8 p.m. (admission is free on Saturdays); museum closed on Fridays but shop remains open Friday, 11 a.m.– 3 p.m.

ON THE WALLS: “Alex Katz Paints Ada,” through March 1; “Light x Eight,” through February 4; “Superheroes: Good and Evil in American Comics,” through January 28.

IN THE SHOP: The museum’s exhibits can be remembered with every sip of hot coffee. Alex Katz’s “The Red Smile” wraps around a white porcelain mug ($12.95) and a word bubble filled with comic-book profanity is on a bright orange mug ($9.99). Pint glasses (6.95) and cashmere pillows ($158) also bear comic sentiments.

MUSEUM: BROOKLYN MUSEUM 200 Eastern Pkwy., between Flatbush and Washington avenues, Brooklyn, 718-638-5000, Wednesday–Friday, 10 a.m.– 5 p.m., Saturday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.

ON THE WALLS: “Tigers of Wrath: Watercolors by Walton Ford,” through January 28; “Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life,” through January 21; “Looking Back from Ground Zero,” through January 7.

IN THE SHOP: Children inspired by Walton Ford’s depictions of animals can dig into art kits ranging from the “Symbols of Ancient Mexico” stamp set ($19.95) to the 368-page “Scribbles: Drawing & Coloring Book” ($18.95).

MUSEUM: THE FRICK COLLECTION 1 E. 70th St., between Madison and Fifth avenues, 212-288-0700, Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

ON THE WALLS: “Domenico Tiepolo (1727–1804): A New Testament,” through January 7; “Masterpieces of European Painting from the Cleveland Museum of Art,” through January 28; “Cimabue and Early Italian Devotional Painting,” through December 31.

IN THE SHOP: The museum’s first book about Henry Clay Frick’s Fifth Avenue residence — “Building the Frick Collection: An Introduction to the House and Its Collections” ($24.95) — shows the extent to which the industrialist was involved in the design and decoration of his home.

MUSEUM: THE MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM 225 Madison Ave. at 36th Street, 212-685-0008, Tuesday–Thursday, 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Friday 10:30 a.m.–9 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.

ON THE WALLS: “Bob Dylan’s American Journey, 1956–1966,” through January 6; “Fragonard and the French Revolution,” through January 7; “Charles Dickens’s Christmas Carol,” through January 7.

IN THE SHOP: D.A. Pennebaker’s DVD “Bob Dylan: Don’t Look Back” chronicles a three-week tour of England in 1965. With access to one of music’s most influential figures, the film displays both public and private moments ($19.95).


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