The wealth of world-class museums and cultural institutions along the Upper East Side’s stretch of Fifth Avenue has given the blocks the moniker, “Museum Mile,” offering the most diverse art-viewing opportunities on any given mile in the country.
Museum Mile cultural groups are listed below in the order they are located, North to South along Fifth Avenue, between 110th and 82nd streets.
The Museum for African Art dates to 1984. The museum is currently holding its exhibitions and events in other New York City locations while its future home at 1280 Fifth Avenue in East Harlem is under construction.
Located at the north end of Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile, El Museo del Barrio is New York City's only museum dedicated exclusively to Latin American and Latino art.
The narrative of New York City—from its beginning as a small Dutch trading post to its status today as one of the world's most important cities—unfolds through special exhibitions and the diverse collections of the museum. The permanent collection here contains over 3,000,000 items maintained by six curatorial departments.
A branch of the Smithsonian Institution, this is the only museum in the United States devoted exclusively to historical and contemporary design. The museum possesses one of the largest design collections in the world. The collection is international in scope and ranges from one-of-a-kind to mass-produced items and includes rare books, furniture, ceramics, glassware, architectural drawings, metalwork and jewelry.
Founded in 1825, the National Academy is an honorary association of professional artists, a school of fine arts and a museum.
Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum exhibits the best in 20th-century art and contemporary art.
The brainchild of art dealer Serge Sabarsky and philanthropist Ronald S. Lauder, the two-floor Neue Galerie New York opened in 2001 to exhibit early 20th-century German and Austrian art and design.
Part of an international network of German cultural centers, the Goethe-Institut provides a schedule of exhibitions, film screenings, performances, and symposiums focusing on German language and culture, as well as exhibits of contemporary art.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art was incorporated in 1870 and moved to its present location in Central Park in 1880. It houses an encyclopedic collection of art objects from virtually all periods and continents.
