Dahesh Museum of Art
New York, NY 10022
Phone: (212) 759-0606
- Directions:
- E, F at 53rd St
- Hours:
- Tue-Sun 11am-6pm, First Thu of Month 11am-9pm
Editorial Review for Dahesh Museum of Art – by Drew Pisarra
The Scene
Basically, the Dahesh promises an old-fashioned museum-going experience in commercially savvy environs. The ground floor houses a sizable gift shop; upstairs, there's an airy cafe. Below, paintings of semi-clad youths, historic events, and bucolic landscapes--sometimes done up with grandiose Orientalism--glorify a classical aesthetic that, at the time of their creation (the 19th and early 20th century), was under siege. Dismissed by the textbooks today, these idealizing images nevertheless reveal a level of technical expertise that reminds you that with art, as in life, something's lost when something's gained.
The Collection
A large number of the works come courtesy of Salim Moussa Achi (nom de plume: Dr. Dahesh), a Lebanese ex-patriate whose hopes to establish a museum in Beirut were dashed by war. Visitors can view works by the likes of Antoine-Louis Barye and Jean-Leon Gerome--best known today as the teachers of Rodin and Thomas Eakins respectively. Further evidence that their legacy survives.
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Insider Tips
Save MoneyThe first Thursday of every month, the museum has a pay-what-you-wish policy from 6pm to 9pm.
The ExtrasThe museum has a 200-seat auditorium for lectures, films and videos (a hold-over from the building's former tenant, the IBM Gallery of Science and Art).
Know Before You GoThe cafe has a private dining room to the side which can be used for small media presentations.
User Reviews for Dahesh Museum of Art
06/07/2006 Posted by archipel
Do you like pyramids, tigers, deserts, feathers, classical figures, and snobbery? Can't imagine all these together in one place? The Dahesh is 5 minutes of art entertainment you don't want to miss.
08/10/2005 Posted by daydreaming
This is not a big museum, but I was impressed by the depth and richness of their exhibition from the 19th-century European academic art. Their unusual collection reveals not only the educated artists' high techniques but also their lifestyles, ideal, and beliefs. The narrative line of the exhibition is also so great that i could feel as if traveling 19th-century Europe. The museum size is probably perfect: i didn't get either bored or overwhelmed. This is such a nice place to escape from your everyday bussiness. The cafe on the second floor is also wonderful.
Pros: Unusual, Fascinating, Serene
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