The National Academy Museum And School

Photo: Artnet News

Perhaps one of Museum Mile's best kept secrets is The National Academy Museum and School. Located a block away from The Guggenheim on Fifth Avenue (at 5 East 89th Street), it occupies a mansion that was once the home of scuptor Anna and scholar Archer Huntington.

Founded in 1825, the National Academy is an organizaton, a school and a museum. It is a professional organization whose highly esteemed members included Frank Lloyd Wright and Winslow Homer and living members, Frank Stella and Jasper Johns. (The National Academy is the oldest artists' organization in the United States. Members are elected by their peers.) The school offers "studio instruction, master classes, critiques, workshops, lectures" and scholorships; and the museum has an acquisition of over 7,000 "works of American art from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries."

The building, itself, is a beautiful piece of architecture with fireplaces, marble floors and a spiral stairwell. Visitors can get a real sense of Edith Wharton's turn of the century New York. The mansion is fully renovated and intimate, with a charming interplay of old and new throughout.

Photo: NY Press

The National Academy is a place where the past meets the present. There are frequent special exhibits, where American art is examined and appreciated.  The museum focuses on the variety and vitality in American art. There is a blend of fine art from 19th century landscape painters to more modern and comtemporary abstract painters.

The National Academy strives to be a lively community of artists, architects, teachers, students ... and the public. So the next time you come to New York City, stroll up to the Upper East Side to check out their exhibits and permanent collection. You'll be glad you did!

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