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Museums

Brooklyn Museum

4.7 · 9,931 reviews
Intellectual and expansive
Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11238, United States
Interesting facts
1

The museum's unfinished facade features massive limestone sculptures of Brooklyn and Manhattan by Daniel Chester French.

2

The collection includes the monumental 'The Dinner Party,' a permanent installation celebrating women's history.

3

It houses one of the world's most significant collections of ancient Egyptian antiquities, dating from the Predynastic period to the Byzantine era.

4

The museum was one of the first in the United States to collect and exhibit African art as fine art rather than as ethnographic artifacts.

5

The building was constructed to be the largest museum in the world, though only about one-third of the original design was ever built.

6

The museum's grand entrance lobby features a dramatic, multi-story glass-and-steel pavilion added in the early 2000s.

7

It contains a substantial archive of Brooklyn's local history and cultural records.

8

The museum regularly incorporates contemporary interventions into its traditional gallery spaces to challenge historical narratives.

Overview

The Brooklyn Museum is the second-largest art museum in New York City, housed in a prominent Beaux-Arts building designed by McKim, Mead & White. It holds a collection of approximately 500,000 objects ranging from ancient Egyptian masterpieces to contemporary art. The facility is situated on the edge of Prospect Park, adjacent to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Its permanent collection features significant holdings of African, Oceanic, and Japanese art. The museum is renowned for the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, which houses Judy Chicago's 'The Dinner Party'. It frequently hosts major traveling exhibitions that span diverse cultures and time periods. The building itself is a designated New York City landmark, originally intended to be part of an even larger complex that was never fully completed.

Photo spot

The dramatic, soaring glass entry pavilion looking back toward the neoclassical limestone facade.

Insider tips

Use the museum's digital map to locate specific galleries, as the building's layout is vast and multi-layered.

Check the museum website for special after-hours events, such as 'First Saturdays,' which offer music and performances.

Visit the shop on the main floor, which emphasizes collaborations with local Brooklyn artists and designers.

What to avoid

Trying to see every gallery in one visit, which leads to fatigue; focus on specific wings or exhibitions.

Good to know

Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Etiquette

No flash photography in galleries; large backpacks and umbrellas must be stored in the cloakroom.

Plan your visit
Typical visit
2.5-4 hours
Best time to visit
Weekday mornings or Friday evenings to avoid weekend crowds.
Address
Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11238, United States
40.671, -73.964
Get directions
Details
Key exhibitsThe Dinner Party by Judy Chicago; Ancient Egyptian collection; African and Oceanic art galleries.

Frequently asked

Plan for about 2.5-4 hours to see the highlights.

The best time to visit is Weekday mornings or Friday evenings to avoid weekend crowds..

The dramatic, soaring glass entry pavilion looking back toward the neoclassical limestone facade.

Close by you'll find Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Prospect Park, Prospect Park Zoo.