NEW YORK – Located smack dab in the middle of NYC’s Upper East Side is one of my favorite NYC art venues, the always interesting but often-overlooked Asia Society Museum (ASM).  I say overlooked because it’s not officially grouped in with the nearby venues along Museum Mile (that includes the Met and the Guggenheim) nor is it officially part [...]

  TOKYO - Okay, some might say that Japan tries too hard when it comes to art but, for me, some of the most original and engaging shows I’ve seen have been in Tokyo…and I don’t mean those mega put-ons at the National Museum in Ueno or those over-hyped, what-were-they-thinking exhibitions at the Mori. Rather, it’s the small-to-medium sized venues that [...]

    LOS ANGELES – While most visitors to LA flock to the renowned Getty Museum, they often forget about the city’s first major museum dedicated solely to art:  the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Granted, LACMA may not be housed in a beautiful, mountain-perched Richard Meier-designed building (like the Getty) and can’t boast an unrivaled collection of [...]

SAN FRANCISCO – When it comes to San Francisco, I have very mixed feelings.  Growing up, I loved spending time there and felt it was one of the best places ever.  But now, after having seen a bit of what else is out there in the world and having looked at what SF has become, I find it less in [...]

  NEW YORK:  It was not a good day to do the Met (aka The Metropolitan Museum of Art).  The weather was crap, gray and sad, verging on showers.  The eastside subway connecting downtown to the Upper East Side was on a very limited schedule due to some seemingly never-ending construction (which usually means long waits and packed trains).  And [...]

    NEW YORK – I’m not a huge fan of Brooklyn; it’s a bit too hipster-y for me.  But I’ve always enjoyed Brooklyn’s main museum located over in Prospect Heights.  Housed in a lovely, turn of the century McKim, Mead & White designed building (the same blokes who designed a bit of the Met and that grand entrance to [...]

  LOS ANGELES – Back in the day, the only art venue in Downtown was the Museum of Contemporary Art (or MOCA) on Grand Ave.  This is no longer the case.  The art offerings in the area have become numerous and varied, creating an art scene that is not only vibrant but, in a city that tends to focus only [...]

  TOKYO – If you’re a fan of Hayao Miyazaki and his animated masterpieces (e.g. Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro) then this is truly the place for you.  More than a museum (quite Disneyesque, actually), visiting Ghibli is like walking into one of Miyazaki’s films.  You’ll get a fun and fascinating look into the Ghibli magic, from life-sized prop and [...]

  By MONICA BYERS LONDON – I absolutely adore whiling away a morning at the Tate Modern.  And I do mean morning – this is the best time to go to avoid the crowds, largely comprised during the week of tourists and school groups. I won’t make any attempt to discuss the merits of the collection – I would just [...]