RESOURCES: INDIAN AND CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUMS AND FAIRS IN NEW YORK

With over 100 museums and 1,000 galleries spread across all five boroughs of the city, New York is a bustling and diverse art scene. Some of the world’s best art museums call the city home, while top-tier contemporary art galleries line the blocks of the Chelsea, Tribeca and Lower East Side neighborhoods. In the spring and fall, there are a slew of New York art fairs that present new and notable works by both emerging and established international artists. Asian art is also well-represented with high-caliber museum collections, dedicated institutions and other programs like Asia Art Week that continuously promote Asian artists.

Metropolitan Museum of Art – 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York: http://www.metmuseum.org

The largest art museum in the Americas, The Met is a celebrated art institution and home to an extensive collection of art from around the world. The Met also holds one of the most comprehensive installations of South Asian temple arts outside Asia itself, spanning Hindu, Buddhist and Jain religious traditions. In addition to its impressive ancient collection, The Met has recently presented contemporary Indian artists Mrinali Mukherjee and Nikhil Chopra.

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) – 11 West 53rd Street, New York: https://www.moma.org

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) was the first museum to focus on modern art, and its rotating exhibitions carry on this legacy by mounting solo and group shows of significant contemporary artists. Its collection holds important paintings by prominent artists Van Gogh, Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo and other household names. Throughout its history, MoMA has exhibited South Asian modern artists, including V.S. Gaitonde and Satish Gujral in the 1960s, as well as more recent exhibitions like The Project for Independence: Architectures of Decolonization in South Asia, 1947 – 1985 and the screening program Making Waves: A New Generation of Indian Filmmakers.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum – 1071 Fifth Avenue, New York: https://www.guggenheim.org

An iconic New York attraction famous for its spiral architecture, the Guggenheim Museum was founded to champion abstract art and continues to specialize in avant-garde modern and contemporary art. As part of its mission to preserve and promote modernism, the Guggenheim recently presented the first museum exhibition of the influential modern Indian artist V. S. Gaitonde.

Rubin Museum of Art – 150 West 17th Street, New York: http://rubinmuseum.org

The Rubin Museum of Art is dedicated to Asia’s diverse cultures, traditions and art forms, with a special focus on the Himalayas and India. Alongside its historic permanent collection, various rotating exhibitions have featured emerging contemporary South Asian artists Chitra Ganesh, Samita Sinha and Pallavi Paul, and esteemed Indian artists M.F. Husain, Tyeb Mehta and Akbar Padamsee.

Asia Society Museum – 725 Park Avenue, New York: https://asiasociety.org/museum

Asia Society is a nonprofit educational institution committed to the cultural exchange between Asia and the United States. Under the umbrella of this nonprofit, the museum collection comprises traditional and contemporary Asian art from diverse nations and cultures. Recent exhibitions exploring Indian art include In Focus: Lakshmi, M.F. Husain: Art and the Nation and The Progressive Revolution: Modern Art for a New India.

Asia Week New York – Events held throughout New York: https://www.asiaweekny.com

Asia Week New York is an annual ten-day Asian art festival across New York City, occurring each March. Participating institutions, galleries, auction houses and other organizations schedule coinciding exhibitions, talks and performances that promote appreciation of and scholarship on Asian art. Aside from its signature week, the nonprofit publicizes Asian art events throughout the year, such as the annual fall Asian art auctions hosted by Sotheby’s and Christie’s. This calendar is a fantastic source of Indian art events for South Asian art collectors in New York.

Frieze New York – The Shed, 545 West 30th Street, New York: https://www.frieze.com/fairs/frieze-new-york

Taking place in May, Frieze New York is a prestigious fair featuring over 60 leading galleries from around the globe. This tastemaking exhibit is divided into curated sections, including focuses on emerging artists and overlooked modern masters.

The Armory Show – Javits Center, 429 11th Avenue, New York: https://www.thearmoryshow.com

Hosted in September, the Armory Show is a major New York art fair that brings together a curated selection of over 200 leading international galleries and hundreds of the most sought-after artists. Throughout the run of the fair, there are also panels, performances and other events offered for visitors.

Affordable Art Fair New York – Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street, New York: https://affordableartfair.com/fairs

Each spring and fall, typically in March and September, the Affordable Art Fair provides a platform for original contemporary artworks ranging in affordable prices from $100 to $12,000. This is a fantastic fair for new art buyers to begin collecting on a budget.