Private Tours of New York’s Best Museums, Galleries, and Architecture

Private Tours inside The MET

My Approach:

I use a unique blend of close looking, essential historical background, and alluring true stories to create indelible art experiences. At the end of your experience, you will undoubtedly know how to better experience art and architecture moving forward!  I offer tours of nearly all of the city’s major museums. If you don’t see what you’re looking for below, contact me and I’ll see if we can make it happen.  

Here are some of our most popular private tours:

The Moroccan Courtyard at the MET

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

I lead a variety of unique tours at the MET, but we can also focus on general highlights, a specific area of the museum, or special exhibitions.

Here are a few of my most popular tours:

Hidden Spaces in the MET

The MET has long been committed to faithfully recreating or installing architecture from far-flung locales inside its walls. These spaces transport visitors, and many of them are hidden deep in the recesses of the MET‘s vast floor-plan. Over the course of two hours, we will discover an Egyptian tomb, a Chinese scholar garden, a Moroccan courtyard, an Assyrian palace, and a living room designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Art and Science at the MET

For centuries, breakthroughs in the visual arts have been shaped by advances in the sciences. Early dissections transformed the work of Leonardo da Vinci; industrially produced tubes of paint allowed the Impressionists to paint outdoors; Georges Seurat’s pointillism was inspired by Michel Eugène Chevreul’s discoveries about color theory; and recent developments in the field of neuroscience have helped us to understand how we process images.  Together, we will discuss these—and other— intersections of art, science, and technology.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Together we’ll explore one of the world’s most unique — and at times challenging — museums. We’ll begin with a close exploration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s organic, spiral building, which some people love and others love to hate. Then we’ll dive into the ongoing special exhibitions, which often work with — or against — the building in creative ways. The current exhibition, Going Dark, explores the way that artists of color often obscure the figure as a metaphor for societal invisibility.

Chelsea, Uptown, or Tribeca Galleries

Interested in contemporary art, but intimidated by galleries? I’ll take you through 5 or 6 of the most provocative and groundbreaking shows of the moment. Together, we’ll see a mix of painting, sculpture, photography, and new media art in one of New York’s most exciting gallery districts. If you are looking for blue-chip artists in expansive spaces, we’ll head to Chelsea. For more eclectic figures in historic cast-iron architecture, we’ll go to Tribeca. And for a mix of modern masters and and emerging artists, we’ll explore the Upper East Side.

Manhattan’s Iconic Architecture

I offer a variety of walking tours focusing on Manhattan’s old and new architecture, and public art along the way:

  • Let’s meander through Lower Manhattan to see how old and new New York commingle. After investigating the structure and aesthetics of the Brooklyn Bridge (completed in 1883), we’ll explore the city’s early skyscrapers, like the Woolworth Building, and compare them their modern glass and steel counterparts, like the Freedom Tower. We’ll finish by debating the merits and drawbacks of Santiago Calatrava’s controversial PATH transit hub.
  • Built in the 1930s, Rockefeller Center still stands as an Art Deco masterpiece and one of the largest developments in Manhattan’s history. Together, we will explore the grandiosity of this “city within a city,” and the many public artworks that are hidden in plain site throughout the complex.
Lower Manhattan Skyline, with the Woolworth Building in the center.
Kiki Smith’s mosaic at Grand Central Madison

Public Art in Grand Central Madison

Grand Central Madison, which runs deep below Madison Avenue between 43rd and 48th streets, is an extension of Grand Central Terminal that offers Long Island Railroad (LIRR) riders direct access to the East Side. It took 50 years and $11.1 billion to make it happen, but it is an impressive station, replete with the city’s longest escalators and a “cultural corridor” full of original art. Together, we will explore the project’s history and will focus on a series of whimsical digital commissions and delicate, nature-inspired mosaics by Kiki Smith (pictured below) and Yayoi Kusama. 

Special Exhibitions

Focused tours of special exhibitions and themes. All tours can be virtual or in person unless otherwise noted. This season, I recommend:   

Keep in mind, these are just suggestions!

If you have other ideas or would like to customize one of the above options, I will happily create a tailored experience for you.

Pricing

Pricing depends upon group size and tour length. In-person tours are usually 2 hours, and they start at $500 for up to 5 people, including admission (if applicable). Contact Lauren to learn more.

Events

I love creating special events for family celebrations, educational organizations, team building or client functions. Let me know what you’re thinking and I’ll develop something specific for you!  

Gifts

Not sure what to get for the person who has everything? My tours make thoughtful, personalized birthday, holiday, and thank you gifts.

Testimonials

See what people are saying about our tours on Yelp and Trip Advisor.