In 1968, the Studio Museum in Harlem opened in the rented loft of a townhouse with an exhibition of Tom Lloyd’s hypnotic installations and a big dream. Despite limited resources, the museum’s founders sought to champion artists of African descent, who were often ignored by major galleries, and to make a cultural statement at a time of great upheaval in the country.
Almost 60 years (and a move and various renovations) later, the institution has been reborn as one of New York City’s most captivating art museums. Its striking new home, a stack of charcoal-gray glass boxes suspended over 125th Street, is unlike any other structure in the area and has been fashioned to feature much more of the museum’s collection. As Raymond J. McGuire, chair emeritus of the museum’s board, puts it: “The new building says, ‘Harlem matters. Black art matters.’”
Glenn Ligon, Give Us a Poem, 2007. Courtesy, Studio Museum in Harlem. Photo: Albert Vecerka/Esto
Why Go?
The Studio Museum in Harlem is a leading showcase for African American art—and the recently opened modern building is pretty spectacular too, with lots of bright spaces, floor-to-ceiling windows and city views. Its seven floors display works by the likes of Glenn Ligon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Faith Ringgold, Kehinde Wiley, Kerry James Marshall and other trailblazers, and contain studios for resident artists. If you’re looking for a place that demonstrates and contextualizes the impact of Black art on the art world and the country, this is it. A bonus of any visit: As an anchor on the 125th Street corridor, the museum is ideally placed for a great day out in Harlem.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Bayou, 1984. Courtesy, Studio Museum in Harlem. Photo: John Berens
Some History
The museum’s first space was a simple loft over a luncheonette and liquor store at 2033 Fifth Ave. In 1979, it moved to the current location at 144 W. 125th St. Innovative Black architect J. Max Bond Jr. renovated the former bank into a contemporary gallery on a tight budget. The museum reopened in 1982 with three exhibitions, including Ritual and Myth: A Survey of African-American Art, one of many major displays in the new building over the years. Other landmark shows have included Harlem Renaissance: Art of Black America (1987), which celebrated top names from a time of enormous Black cultural impact, and Freestyle (2001), the first in the F series of thematic displays by emerging artists.
The latest iteration, designed by London-based Adjaye Associates with NYC outfit Cooper Robertson (now Corgan), began in January 2018. The capital campaign led by director Thelma Golden raised more than $300 million—a far cry from the early days—and ensured its completion in 2025.
From Now: A Collection in Context, 2025. Courtesy, Studio Museum in Harlem. Photo: Albert Vecerka/Esto
From Now: A Collection in Context, 2025. Courtesy, Studio Museum in Harlem. Photo: Kris Graves
What to See
After admiring the exterior, step inside the dazzling Nancy L. Lane Lobby. To one side, pinewood bleachers known as the Stoop spill down to create an amphitheater; farther back a monumental staircase of giant terrazzo blocks serves as the spine to the whole building (don’t worry, there are two elevators too). A small project space and a diminutive but enticing store complete the ground floor; the café is just downstairs.
The core galleries cover floors 2 through 4, and level 5 is for programs and special events. The sixth floor contains more project spaces and is also the access point to the spacious rooftop terrace, where a garden designed by Harlem firm Studio Zewde helps stage fabulous views of Midtown Manhattan’s skyline to the south.
The artwork on view in the museum rotates throughout the year, but a few pieces are on long-term display, including Glenn Ligon’s lobby installation, Give Us a Poem (2007), which alternately flashes the words “Me” and “We”; David Hammons’s black, red and green Untitled (2004) flag outside the main entrance; and Houston E. Conwill’s seven bronze time capsules, The Joyful Mysteries (1984), encased near the stairwell until September 2034, when they will be opened. Visitors can also expect to see the latest site-specific commissions: Untitled (heliotrope) (2025), by Camille Norment, a fascinating sculptural and sound installation that looks like a pipe organ, and the fantastical figures in Harlem Is a Myth (2025), by Christopher Myers, adorning the walls of the third-floor Education Workshop.
Once again, some of Tom Lloyd’s mesmerizing light installations are part of the opening, installed on the third floor until late March 2026. The inaugural exhibitions include To Be a Place, on the sixth floor, highlighting the museum’s history (through August 2026); and From Now: A Collection in Context, a rotating thematic installation of works from the permanent collection spread over several floors.
Among the museum’s amazing trove of art are showstoppers like Jean-Michel Basquiat’s astounding Bayou (1984), with his perpetually intriguing scribbles, symbols and diagrams. The late artist and activist Faith Ringgold is represented by a couple of thought-provoking pieces, including Echoes of Harlem (1980), her first “story quilt,” featuring painted portraits of people she knew in the neighborhood. Also look out for Kerry James Marshall’s Silence Is Golden (1986), Malvin Gray Johnson’s Harlem Renaissance–era Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (1928–29) and Barkley L. Hendricks’s Lawdy Mama (1969). The museum owns several paintings by New York–based Kehinde Wiley, a 2001–2002 artist in residence; his The Gypsy Fortune-Teller (2007) is a stunning twist on François Boucher’s 18th-century pastoral, The Collation. This just scrapes the surface. There’s recent work by Devin N. Morris and Tschabalala Self, plus a stash of thousands of photographs by James Van Der Zee, a Harlem Renaissance legend. Art lovers should invest in the museum catalog, Meaning Matter Memory, to get the full picture, though if there is a particular piece you want to see, it is best to check ahead of time to make sure it is on display.
To Be a Place, 2025. Courtesy, Studio Museum in Harlem. Photo: Kris Graves
From Now: A Collection in Context, 2025. Courtesy, Studio Museum in Harlem. Photo: Kris Graves
Fast Facts
• The Studio Museum’s permanent collection encompasses more than 800 artists, spans over 200 years and includes nearly 9,000 works across pretty much every medium.
• The oldest piece is Portrait of Sarah Maria Coward (circa 1804), by Joshua Johnson, a painter who was thought to be the son of an Anglo father and enslaved Black mother.
• The Studio Museum partners with Arts & Minds to give adults with memory disorders and their caregivers new experiences with art. Other inclusive programs feature verbal description tours for those with low vision, a Studio Signs monthly tour in ASL led by a deaf museum educator and art-making options engaging kids young and old.
• The museum’s logo uses a custom typeface named Studio Museum Black.
• Every year, an 11-month residency is granted to three artists—local, national or international—who work in any media (for 2026, the residency was reduced to seven months). The program, which launched in 1969 and was the first of its kind in the country for Black artists, helped make the careers of Kerry James Marshall, Mickalene Thomas and many other notables.
Exterior, with David Hammons' Untitled flag (2004). Courtesy, Studio Museum in Harlem. Photo: Albert Vecerka/Esto
Practicalities
The museum is a short walk from the 2/3 subway station at 125th Street. It’s open from 11am to 6pm Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and 11am to 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Suggested admission is $16 for adults; children under 16 are free. Admission is free on Sunday.
Red Rooster Harlem. Photo: Lucía Vázquez
Take a Break
Harlem has plenty of restaurants, bars and coffee shops; some are landmarks in themselves. A short stroll from the museum are Sylvia’s, at 328 Malcolm X Blvd., which has been knocking out soul food since 1962, and Red Rooster, at 310 Lenox Ave., a showcase for chef Marcus Samuelsson’s contemporary take on American comfort food.
Other nearby alternatives:
• Corner Social for brunch and a good drinks menu
• Harlem Shake for burgers and a 1950s diner vibe
• Mushtari Café for excellent coffee and light bites
• The Victoria for Cajun-inspired cuisine and craft cocktails
Apollo Theater and Apollo Stages at The Victoria. Photo: Lucía Vázquez
Where to Go Next
A civil rights museum should be opening in 2026 across the street from the Studio Museum, at the National Urban League’s Urban League Empowerment Center. One block west lies the famous Apollo Theater; while the main stage is being renovated, performances are scheduled at the Apollo Stages at the Victoria, at 233 W. 125th St. To learn more about Black art and Harlem history, visit the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the Africa Center. Lovers of jazz should seek out the small but fascinating National Jazz Museum in Harlem.
For more neighborhood exploration, see our complete Harlem guide.