If you’ve ever felt that art is more than something to hang on a wall – that it’s something to feel, walk through, and live inside – then you might want to pack the new Lonely Planet Art Destinations book in your next carry on. From Marrakesh to Marfa, this beautifully curated collection takes readers on a journey through 70 remarkable places around the globe where creativity doesn’t just decorate a destination – it defines it. Within its pages you’ll find the cutting-edge installations of Japan’s Naoshima art island, the vibrant street murals of Valparaiso in Chile, and the ancient Aboriginal rock art that brings Australia’s rugged outback to life.
Each chapter highlights how art transforms spaces, from world-class museums and hidden artist enclaves to sculpture parks, festivals and entire towns built on imagination. Packed with breathtaking photography and expert travel insights, Lonely Planet Art Destinations goes far beyond a traditional guidebook – it’s an invitation to see the world through the eyes of its artists and creators.
And there’s perhaps no better place to start than New York City, a metropolis where art is everywhere – from the polished galleries of Chelsea to the spray-painted walls of Brooklyn. A city that has inspired, challenged, and defined generations of artists, New York remains the beating heart of the global art world. Here’s a glimpse inside the city that never stops creating.
Everywhere’s Art in New York City
New York City is one of the world’s greatest art scenes.
Artists seeking Bohemian fellowship were first drawn here in the 19th century, but it was abstract expressionism – America’s first homegrown artistic movement to gain real international influence – that made NYC the epicentre of the art world in the mid-20th century.
Today, NYC’s art museums are some of the greatest in the world. Keep an eye out for their special free and reduced-admission days.
NYC is also a major centre of the international art market. It’s home to auction houses, art fairs and hundreds of commercial galleries, especially in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Manhattan’s Chelsea is arguably the most notable arts district, full of free-to-visit, white-walled galleries, including the Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, David Zwirner and Marianne Boesky. A gallery crawl is best on Thursday or Friday night, when openings are common.
Also in Chelsea is the High Line, an elevated rail line repurposed as a public park; it’s packed with art and surrounded by incredible architecture. Nearby SoHo claims the Judd Foundation, the living and working space of Donald Judd and one of NYC’s few visitable artists’-home museums.
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
The Met (including its uptown annexe, the Cloisters) is the fourth-largest and second-most-visited art museum in the world. Masterwork and magnum opus upon chef-d’oeuvre and priceless treasure swell the galleries behind its sweeping beaux-arts façade. Even those boasts don’t capture its grandeur – a head-spinning display of 5000 years of art from across the globe.
BUSHWICK COLLECTIVE
Notable and amateur taggers have used local Bushwick businesses’ walls as canvases for 50-plus commissioned murals along Brooklyn’s St Nicholas Ave and adjacent streets. There are other spray-painted nexus in NYC, but none as concentrated, copious or captivating, or as splashy a confirmation of graffiti as art.
MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN (MAD)
Now in its third incarnation since being founded in 1956 (and located at 2 Columbus Circle since 2008), MAD is as much a celebration of artistic process as it is an exhibition of creative output. Its provocative and participatory programming dives into the ideas, influences, environments, materials and impacts of artistic and utilitarian objects.
Importantly, MAD also brings artists themselves to the public. On the top floor of its six levels, working creatives occupy three artist studios, at least one of which is usually open during museum operating hours on certain days. (There’s also a hands-on learning space with impressive views of Columbus Circle.) Visitors are encouraged to step into an active studio and engage directly with the artist or designer – a unique museum privilege. Competition is fierce for these six-month residencies, and it shows in the high-calibre work – and makers – on display.
MAD’s exhibition and interaction area is modest in size. The premium on space means displays are carefully curated, favouring interdisciplinary collections and engagements that purposefully blur the lines between art, craft and design, and embrace all artisans accomplished in their work.
Visitor experience associates lead worthwhile guided tours (free with admission), including the artist studios.
Art Destinations by Lonely Planet, $65 RRP. Contact shop.lonelyplanet.com