About
MISSION AND VALUES
The Grey Art Museum, New York University’s fine arts museum, enables and encourages transformative encounters with works of art. Engaging with challenging issues in the study of material culture, the Grey serves as a museum-laboratory, sparking interdisciplinary scholarship. Uniquely positioned to cultivate visual literacy and critical thinking, the Grey shares NYU’s fundamental commitment as a global research university to advance knowledge of different cultures, contexts, and histories across time. The Grey also fosters experiential learning through its collections and participates in the cultural, intellectual, and environmental spheres of NYU’s Global Network, of New York City, and of the broader world.
The Grey Art Museum and its staff promote the following values:
Innovative scholarship—we are dedicated to producing rigorous scholarship that expands the art historical canon and presents new ideas, both to strengthen the academic community and to enrich learning for our broader audiences.
Inclusion—we actively address inequity and injustice, and seek to empower staff, students, faculty, and community members of all backgrounds, perspectives, and skills.
Access—we strive to create a culture of mutually beneficial engagement that provides opportunities for all students and viewers to build cultural capital, learn about careers in the arts, and inform the museum’s goals and vision.
Interdisciplinary learning, engagement, and community outreach—we cultivate encounters with a range of disciplines, time periods, and global perspectives, and foster collaborative relationships across NYU as well as with peer institutions and community-based organizations, providing opportunities for multifaceted education.
HISTORY
For nearly 50 years, the Grey Art Museum—formerly known as the Grey Art Gallery—was located within New York University’s Silver Center—the site of NYU’s original home, the legendary University Building (1835 to 1892). Winslow Homer, Daniel Huntington, Samuel Colt, George Innes, and Henry James all lived and worked there, as did Professor Samuel F. B. Morse, who established the first academic fine arts department in America on the museum’s original site.
Demolished in 1892, the original building was replaced by the Main Building (renamed the Silver Center in 2002). Here was located, from 1927 to 1942, A. E. Gallatin’s Museum of Living Art, NYU’s first art museum and the first institution in this country to exhibit work by Picasso, Léger, Mirò, Mondrian, Arp and members of the American Abstract Artists group. Gallatin aspired to create a forum for intellectual exchange, a place where artists would congregate to acquaint themselves with the latest developments in contemporary art. In 1975, with a generous gift from Mrs. Abby Weed Grey, the Museum’s original space was renovated, offices and a collection storage facility were added, and the doors were reopened as the Grey Art Gallery and Study Center.
In 2024, the Grey made a transformative move to a purpose-designed, larger, and more visible space at 18 Cooper Square in lower Manhattan. With this move, the Grey was renamed the Grey Art Museum. The Grey’s new home—with 40% more exhibition space—occupies the entire ground floor of a venerable brick and iron building in the historic NoHo district, its storefront façade facing out onto a busy pedestrian thoroughfare.
Over the last five decades the institution has organized exhibitions that have encompassed all the visual arts: painting, sculpture, drawing and printmaking, photography, architecture and decorative arts, video, film, and performance. In addition to originating its own exhibitions, some of which travel throughout the United States and abroad, the museum hosts traveling shows that might otherwise not be seen in New York. Award-winning scholarly publications, distributed worldwide, are published by the Grey Art Museum. In conjunction with its exhibitions, the Grey also sponsors public programs, including lectures, symposia, panel discussions, and films.
FAQ
Where are you located?
The Grey Art Museum is located at 18 Cooper Square in the NoHo district of Manhattan. Until 2024, the museum was known as the Grey Art Gallery and was housed within New York University’s Silver Center for Arts and Science along the historic Washington Square Park.
What is the cost of admission?
The museum is free to all NYU students, faculty, and staff. There is a suggested donation of $5 for all other museum visitors.
How do I arrange for a group visit or tour?
Please fill out one of our group visit forms so we know how many people to expect and what specific needs and goals you may have for your visit. All groups of 10 and above are asked to schedule their visit at least two weeks in advance. Group visits are available Tuesday-Friday, 11 am–5 pm. Exceptions are sometimes possible for university and college classes that meet before 11 am.
Does the Grey have public restrooms?
Yes. The museum has ADA accessible, gender-neutral bathrooms available for patrons’ use.
Is the Grey available for private event rentals?
Unfortunately, the museum is not available for rental.
Can the Museum appraise my artwork or artifacts?
The Grey staff does not authenticate or perform appraisals of works of art or artifacts for the public. We suggest that you consult a certified appraiser or auction house. You may also contact the Appraisers Association of America to get more information on certain types of appraisals.
I’m an artist. Can I send you information about my work?
The Grey Art Museum does not accept unsolicited artist submissions, and we cannot respond to or return unsolicited material.
I have an idea for an exhibition. Can I send it to you?
We are currently not accepting exhibition proposals. Please visit the “Submission Guidelines” page for more information.
Are large bags permitted on-site?
If you arrive carrying a bag or backpack larger than 11 x 14 inches, we will ask you to store it in our lockers—available at the front of the museum—for the duration of your visit.
Is the Grey accessible to people with disabilities?
Yes, the museum is accessible to people with disabilities, including wheelchair users. Please call (212) 998-6780 for more information.
Are mobile devices permitted in the galleries?
You may text during your visit. However, please set your phone to vibrate and take all voice calls outside of the galleries.
Is filming allowed in the museum?
No. Filming is not allowed inside of the Grey.
I’d like to donate a work of art to the Grey. What should I do?
Given our limited storage, the Grey Art Museum does not actively acquire or accept many works into the NYU Art Collection. Furthermore, donations that are accepted usually complement the strengths of the NYU collections such as Downtown New York or Modern Asian and Middle Eastern Art. To submit art for consideration, supply digital images and basic information about the work (title, artist, year, dimensions, acquisition history) to greyartmuseum@nyu.edu. The Grey cannot advise collectors regarding the value of their artwork nor can the Grey’s staff provide authentication services.
Can I give to the Grey?
Absolutely! The “Support” page explains different ways to give to the Grey.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
As of April 2022, the Grey Art Museum at NYU has put a temporary pause on exhibition proposals and will not be able to respond to submissions. For your reference, the following instructions will remain online during this pause.
The Grey Art Museum will review proposals from curators and art institutions. However, before submitting a proposal, please keep in mind that given our staff size, the academic calendar, and limited resources, the Grey hosts only three exhibitions a year, one of which we originate ourselves, and is typically booked three years in advance. Additionally, the Grey shows relatively few solo exhibitions of contemporary artists since there are so many New York venues dedicated to this purpose. Although our shows are certainly diverse, they tend to be more historical in nature and are usually presented in collaboration with NYU faculty and staff.
Please take time to view our website, look into previously held exhibitions, and consider our mission before submitting your proposal.
To submit a proposal, please mail the following items to the Grey Art Museum.
- A written statement
- A printed sample of images to be included in the exhibition (no digital files, please)
- Budget
- Space requirements
Mail to:
Grey Art Museum
New York University
20 Cooper Square, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10003
Due to the high volume of proposals we receive, it may take up to six months to respond to your submission. We cannot return any proposal materials.
STAFF
Director
Lynn Gumpert
Deputy Director
Michèle Wong
Associate Director, Finance and Administration
Laurie Duke
Head of Education and Programs
Leah G. Sweet
Exhibitions and Publications Manager
Allegra Favila
Chief Preparator
Richard Wager
Preparator
Noah Landfield
Administrative Assistant
Eric Oresick
Assistant to the Director | Press Officer
Sofeia Eddy