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There is a long dispute on the internet about which city holds the most museums: Paris, Moscow, Beijing, London, Mexico City, Rome…

What is a museum?

It is not our intention to be part of this debate; establishing a ranking of the most artistic city is an endeavor that surpasses our goals. And, anyway, it would be impossible for us to be objective. We believe we can all agree that, although the exact number is difficult to specify – the concept of a museum is subject to interpretation-; New York City is full of museums.

With hundreds of galleries, museums, and artistic institutions (some of which are the most important in the world), visitors and residents will find enough cultural nourishment for the most longing appetites.

But, how a such a relatively young city (NYC didn’t become a big city until the nineteenth century) was able to compete against the capitals of old empires? There is not a simple answer to that, but a combination of factors that we believe have contributed to the concentration of Art Collections in New York:

The sheer size of the city

With a population of almost 9 million, such a gathering of people creates a series of opportunities and needs that enables the development of cultural institutions. The New York Public Library collection, the Museum of the City of New York, and the New York City Fire Museum are good examples of this.

The money

After London, New York is the city with more millionaires worldwide. Either to display their economic power or for an honest sense of philanthropism, private patronage and museums have a strong connection. The Frick Collection and the Morgan Library started as private collections, and important institutions like the Guggenheim Museum or the Museum of Modern Art were founded by wealthy benefactors.

The tourists

NYC received more than 65 million visitors in 2018. Although most museums are non-profit organizations, they need visitors to support their expenses; great institutions like the Metropolitan Museum or the American Museum of Natural History wouldn’t be sustainable in a city without tourists.

The immigrants

New York has become the home of people from every corner of the world. Through Castle Garden, Barge Office, or Ellis Island, millions of immigrants have started a new life in the past five centuries.; their histories are taught in institutions like the Tenement Museum or the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. The impact of their cultures, on museums like the Hispanic Society, the Jewish Museum, or the Rubin Museum of Art.

The boroughs

Besides Manhattan, New York has another four boroughs with their own identity. The idiosyncrasy of each one and the longing for cultural organizations of its inhabitants resulted in the creation of important museums like the Brooklyn Museum, the Bronx Museum, the Staten Island Museum, and the Queens Museum.

The artists

This city couldn’t be understood without its artist. It has been a haven for painters, intellectuals, writers, and musicians. New York has seen the development of some of the most important artistic movements in the past century, such as Abstract Expressionism, Hip Hop, and Pop Art. Hundreds of Art galleries, record labels, editorials, and theatres nurtured a soil of cultural freedom and search for beauty that resulted in the creation of multiple museums. Organizations like the Salmagundi Club or El Museo del Barrio were created by New York artists.

The academics

New York is also a great center of education. Universities like NYU, Columbia, CUNY, SUNY, Fordham, Rockefeller, The New School, and Fordham have shaped the minds of many New Yorkers and transformed the cultural landscape. They have also created collections unrestricted to the general public, like the New Museum or the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

All these factors cannot be considered independently. The complex relationships between artists, collectors, immigrants, scholars, patrons, tourists, and citizens create a series of synergies that provide the world with an extraordinary city with a unique climate where museums are an essential part of its environment.