El Museo Del Barrio – Manhattan, New York

Get Cultured at the El Museo Del Barrio in Manhattan

Founded in 1969 by the artist Raphael Montañez Ortiz, El Museo Del Barrio is the only museum in New York City that focuses on the cultures of the Caribbean and Latin America. You can find it on Fifth Avenue along Manhattan’s Museum Mile. Through its collections and exhibits, it represents the diversity of culture and artwork among Latinos.

Visitors to the museum will see a number of different items in the collection, everything from Pre-Columbian artifacts to paintings and photographs. The museum has several different areas and holds more than 8,000 items.

Pre-Columbian Collection

The museum houses more than 2000 artifacts from a variety of ancient cultures, including the Igneris, Caribs, and Taíno. The artifacts range from domestic items, such as bowls to ceremonial items. Here you also will find the second largest collection of Taino artifacts in the United States.

Traditional Arts

In this area of the museum, you will discover a host of different objects (more than 900) from Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Haiti, and other countries. You can see dolls, masks, and religious items such as the carved wooden saints used for religious ceremonies.

Works on Paper

The museum has more than 3000 works on paper, including a collection that shows the evolution of printmaking in Puerto Rico from the 1940s to today.

Paintings

You can see more than 500 paintings from a number of the best and most beloved artists from the past century. You can see a variety of different styles.
 
Sculpture and Installations

See works by such famed sculptors as Raul Farco, Marcos Dimas, and Jorge Soto. Some of the best and most innovative work from the last few decades is represented here.

Photography, Film, and Video

The photography collection contains over 400 photos, some of which are from Jack Delano. His works chronicle the lives of Puerto Ricans during the Depression. You can also see a variety of films and learn of their histories in this section.

You will also want to check out the Teatro Heckscher, a beautifully restored historic theater that has 30 ft murals and stained glass roundels.

You can reach El Museo Del Barrio in a number of ways: take the subway, the bus, or a cab. Depending on where you are staying, you might even be able to walk. Admission to the museum is by suggested donation. The suggested donation for adults is $6, students and seniors is $4, and children under 12 are free. On Thursdays, seniors are free.

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