Rubin Museum of Art

I have been reading and watching the old Barney’s on 17th and 7th go under renovations in the past year. Finally, the Rubin Museum of Art emerged from underneath the brown paper windows earlier this month.

The reviews have been fantastic. So, I made it a point to get there this month. My friend and I did the full on tour. Supposedly this museum was started by 2 families of collectors. They began their collecting only a few years ago, bought the site and decided to create a museum. Pretty incredible. They have also done quite a beautiful job.

First of all, they kept the old Barney’s staircase which is in the center of the museum. It was fun walking down and recalling the old floors and what was on them. The Barney’s store on 17th and 7th was such a magical place. I always felt like a true NYer making my way through the floors. The Co-op at that time was prime with young designers that u could only find there. Anyway, enough about Barney’s.

We started on the top floor, which I found to be my favorite. The art spans from the 4th Century to the 14th Century. Small intricate statutes that represent Indian Culture, yoga poses, etc. The canvases are intricate and with delicate workmanship. The collection represents the history of the Himalayan people. There is historical information surrounding each piece. I was taken back by the beauty of different pieces knowing that they are over 700 years old. Pretty impressive. Also, the restoration that has gone into each piece is quite amazing because they are so clean u can see every detail.

Downstairs the museum shows different exhibits. Currently there is an exhibit of photos from Kenro Izu of black and white photos through the Himalayan’s.

There is also a nice restaurant with really interesting foods and a gift store with books, etc.

The museum is beautiful. I really enjoyed going. It is a small gem that we can only thank the collectors for giving this to New York.