Top Art museums in Albany, United States

Wonderful donation based museum. I've been coming here for years. They have really great exhibits in Dutch colonization, native American exhibits including part of a life sized long house, a mastodon and much more. The staff is really great too. I was able to schedule an appointment and look at some of the behind the scenes artifacts. A gem for upstate New York.

Best art gallery in Albany

Excellent museum depicting life in New York, past and present. You need 3-4 hours to do justice to all exhibits. They have antique cars, a carousel, fire engine hall, many neighborhoods in NYC like Harlem, the garment district, an especially touching exhibit on 9-11, birds of NY, etc. And it is all free, but please donate what you can. I plan to come back and spend a whole day here. Look at their website for parking details.

The New York State Museum in Albany is a cultural gem. Its diverse exhibits provide an in-depth look into the state's history, culture, and natural wonders. The museum is not only informative but also engaging, with interactive displays and well-curated collections. From the impressive dinosaur fossils to thought-provoking art, there's something for everyone. The institution's commitment to education and preservation is evident throughout. A visit here is a journey through New York's past and present, and it's a must-see for anyone interested in the state's rich heritage.

Great free entrance museum with event space a Carousel upstairs that runs at 30 min intervals and a kids touch and explore area. Suggested donation is $10 per family and it is well worth it to keep this beauty running. The architecture alone is worth the visit but the exhibits are really well done and engaging too. Parking can be limited but its totally a great few hours.

Very nice art and history museum. The art was good with sculptures and paintings. The history went in depth on the Albany tulip festival and their sister city.

The Hudson River School paintings collection here is breathtaking. I genuinely enjoyed looking over each piece and reading the guidebook that came with it. It was peaceful and it felt like we were the only ones inside.

I was blown away by this museum and was even more thrilled that I didn’t have to pay for admission. Just some donations that would go towards the museum which I was happily to give.
The 9-11 memorial in there was truly breathtaking. To see so many artifacts that were taken from that day and to see those things in person was really crazy to experience.
I really enjoyed the earlier settlers part of the museum where they recreated some of the houses they made back in those days. It was really cool to see them work as a cohesive unit to coexist and survive.
Overall, a great museum if you are in this area. And this place is also in a cool area to go sight seeing as well.

Albany, NY, has certainly done updating. This museum is quite nice. It's lovely to be able to actually take in and absorb an individual painting's details without being shoved by a crowd. They have an impressive collection of Hudson River School Landscape paintings. The beautiful colors, and detailing of these pieces are priceless. Seeing how artists have detailed the world around them is inspirational to me. Capturing their time period was fascinating to see l.
Unfortunately, they were redoing the second floor so it wasn't opened.
Fortunately, they reduced the entry fee!

This museum was a treat. And what a Great collection of landscape paintings! Friendly staff and tickets were 50% off!

We’ve been here as a family twice now. It’s a free museum with beautiful and thoughtful exhibits. It’s huge inside. Took us a few hours to go all around. And many displays were new few our last visit. They also have clean bathrooms and easily accessible throughout.

Such a wonderful museum. I’ve been taking the kids since they were little. The exhibits are great. They even have the kids section and carousel open now. So definitely check it out if you have little ones. I also recommend it as a fun little escape for adults as well to learn more about lots of interesting topics.

Great place for the entire family. But make sure you have at least 3 or 4 hours to view everything. The exhibits are fun and informative. Don't forget to ride on the carousel...all free!

Very decent collection of paintings of Hudson River school artists, many of them done by Thomas Cole, the founder of the this art movement. Now, would be good if each painting had its own QR code or just artist’s name printed next to it. Took me a while to figure how translate painting numbers to artist names.

It was very niche & small, but the art I saw was really impressive. The building itself was also very clean, and the employees were social.

It was a very nice place. Small, but nice. Honestly, it's the perfect size. Normally history and art museums after a while get boring to me... I wasn't bored at all.

Brought my 16 year old granddaughter and we had a great time examining the Egyptian exhibit, the old fashions and all the art from The Hudson River School.
Much improved displays from when I was her age.

One of the best museums in Albany. The Albany Institute of History & Art is actually one of the oldest museums in the United States. They have a vast collection of artwork from the Hudson River School. Many of the paintings depict local spots along the Hudson River, Adirondack Mountains, Catskills, Albany, or Lake George. Some paintings were on loan from Thomas Cole. Also, interesting is the collection of artifacts and paintings from the Mohawk Valley region featuring a portrait of Sir William Johnson.
The Egyptian gallery is captivating as it features two mummies. Ancient Egyptian objects ranging from hairbrushes, jewelry. canopic jars, and artwork are featured.
The Gordon Parks exhibition "I, too, am America" was an important look at the sad history of segregation in the US. The Jan Brett exhibition of art in children's books was unique. The museum does attract many different exhibitions throughout the year.
Admission price was reasonable for such a nice museum. Gift shop featured art prints of artwork in the museum at reasonable prices.

Great local center where they are reaching out in the community to connect local artists to kids. With the goal being to get them interested in a positive ways of expressing themselves through many different art medias.

The size is special as you can see everything on display in short period of time. And, the staff is so helpful and knowledgeable. Its a hidden treasure in Albany, NY.

Parking can be a challenge, but the gallery is nice. Enjoyed the bonsai exhibit.

Unique displays of artistic intent. Good place to expand your point of view.

This place slaps. The exhibits are so powerful

I love this gallery. It's staff and location are great!

Loved the high schoolers art exhibit. Tons of talent on display

The space is very open covering two floors with lots of natural light. The exhibits are beautiful and interesting. Staff is friendly.

would go again. many powerful men, desire filled my heart. 10/10

Beautiful art. They change the designs like every month or so.