If you only have one museum afternoon this week, the question isn’t what to see — it’s where to spend it without burning your whole Saturday in line. NYC has three blockbuster shows running right now, plus a couple of free options most New Yorkers forget about. Here’s how to play the week.
You HAVE to plan around the lines.
Don’t Miss: ‘Costume Art’ at The Met
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue — open through January 10, 2027
The Met’s Costume Institute opened Costume Art on Sunday, May 10, and it is — by every measure — the show of the spring. Per the Met’s official exhibition page, the curators pair garments from across the museum’s collection with sculptures, paintings, and decorative arts to explore the relationship between clothing and the body. This is the show the Met Gala 2026 honored, and it’s now the must-see on Fifth Avenue.
Tactical tips:
- Go early. Per Met admissions, regular hours are Sunday–Tuesday and Thursday: 10 am–5 pm. Members get exclusive 9–10 am access — worth the $90 individual membership if you hit four+ exhibitions a year.
- Weekday afternoons are less brutal than weekend mornings. Tuesday after 2 pm is the sweet spot.
- NY/NJ/CT residents pay what you wish at the door with proof of address — out-of-state tickets are $30 adults. The Met is one of the only world-class museums in NYC that still honors pay-what-you-wish for tri-state residents.
The Costume Art exhibition runs through January 10, 2027, so you don’t have to panic — but week-two energy at a major Costume Institute show is part of the experience. It’s lighter than opening weekend, heavier than late summer.
Free All Week: MoMA PS1
MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens — always free
This is the move most NYC museumgoers sleep on: MoMA PS1 is completely free, every day for general admission, made possible by Sonya Yu’s gift. No reservation needed, no pay-what-you-wish suggested contribution — just walk in.
What’s on right now: Greater New York 2026, the sixth edition of MoMA PS1’s signature survey of artists living and working in the NYC area. Per the museum’s official listing, the exhibition features 53 artists and collectives across the entirety of the building, with more than 150 works including site-specific installations and performances. It opened April 16, 2026.
If you have never been to MoMA PS1, here’s the orientation: it’s a converted public school in Long Island City, ten minutes from Court Square on the 7/E/M/G. The building is part of the art. Block out 90 minutes minimum.
Hot Ticket: Iris van Herpen at the Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway — through December 6, 2026
The Iris van Herpen retrospective, Sculpting the Senses, opened May 16 at the Brooklyn Museum. Per the museum’s official exhibition page, the show features more than 140 of van Herpen’s haute couture creations alongside contemporary artworks, sculptures, and natural history specimens — coral, fossils, skeletons — from collaborators like Philip Beesley, Rogan Brown, Casey Curran, Kim Keever, and Nick Knight.
Practical info from Brooklyn Museum’s visit page:
- Hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 11 am–6 pm. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
- Admission: Pay-what-you-wish at the door for general admission. Special exhibitions like Iris van Herpen may have a set ticket price — check the museum’s ticket page in advance.
- Getting there: 2/3 to Eastern Parkway-Brooklyn Museum, doors are right there.
Go this week. Week two is the right week — opening crowds have thinned, and you can still see it before the summer tourist surge.
Still Pulling Crowds: MoMA’s Frida & Diego
The Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd Street — through September 12, 2026
MoMA’s Frida & Diego presentation continues — five Frida Kahlo paintings plus a drawing, and over a dozen Diego Rivera works from MoMA’s collection. Per the museum, it runs through September 12, 2026, in conjunction with the Metropolitan Opera’s production of El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego (May 14–June 5, 2026). A double-bill of museum and opera in the same month is the kind of NYC cultural alignment you don’t get often.
MoMA hours per its official visit page: Monday–Thursday 10:30 am–5:30 pm, Friday 10:30 am–8:30 pm, Saturday–Sunday 10:30 am–5:30 pm. Adult admission is $30. Free for NY State residents every Friday from 5:30 to 8:30 pm — reserve in advance, bring proof of residency.
Other Big Shows Still On
- Whitney Biennial 2026 — opened March 8 at the Whitney Museum of American Art, 99 Gansevoort Street, featuring 56 artists, duos, and collectives. The flagship survey of contemporary American art.
- Greater New York 2026 at MoMA PS1 — covered above, but worth listing twice: the most ambitious local-artist survey of the year.
How to Stack the Week
If you’re trying to hit the most exhibits with the least time and money:
- Tuesday or Wednesday morning: The Met for Costume Art. Pay-what-you-wish if you’re tri-state.
- Thursday afternoon: MoMA PS1 in Queens. Free. Lighter weekday crowds.
- Friday 5:30–8:30 pm: MoMA for Frida & Diego. Free for NY State residents — reserve a slot earlier in the week.
- Saturday or Sunday: Brooklyn Museum for Iris van Herpen. Pay-what-you-wish for general admission; expect timed entry for the special exhibition.
That’s four world-class shows in one week. Two of them free. One of them pay-what-you-wish. Total cash outlay: as low as the Brooklyn Museum special-exhibition ticket and a few subway swipes.
Looking Ahead
The first Saturday of June will bring the Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturday free evening program back — the museum opens its doors free from 5–11 pm with live music, performances, gallery talks, and workshops. Mark the calendar now.
Sources Verified
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Costume Art exhibition page
- The Met press release: Spring 2026 Costume Institute
- MoMA PS1 — Greater New York 2026 exhibition page
- Brooklyn Museum — Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses exhibition page
- Brooklyn Museum hours, admission, and First Saturdays pages
- MoMA visit and admission pages
