If you haven’t been inside a museum yet this month, stop what you’re doing and plan your week. MoMA’s massive Marcel Duchamp retrospective — the first major U.S. retrospective of the artist since 1973 — is officially open, MoMA PS1’s Greater New York 2026 just debuted on April 16, and the free-admission calendar is doing you favors all week long. You HAVE to see the Duchamp show. More than 300 works in one place is an event.
Don’t Miss: Marcel Duchamp at MoMA
The Museum of Modern Art (11 W. 53rd St.) opened its Duchamp retrospective on April 12, and it runs through August 22, 2026. The scope here is almost absurd — more than 300 works from across Duchamp’s career, including readymades, paintings, optical experiments, and his late-career work that most Americans have never seen in person. For context, there has not been a retrospective of this size on U.S. soil in more than 50 years. Go on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning if you can — weekends are going to be a zoo for months. Standard adult admission is $30, but see the free-night section below.
MoMA PS1’s Greater New York 2026
Across the East River, MoMA PS1 (22-25 Jackson Ave., Long Island City) opened Greater New York 2026 on April 16 — the sixth edition of the museum’s signature survey of NYC-area artists. This one spans the entire building and features 53 artists and collectives with over 150 works. Expect painting, sculpture, video, performance residencies, and the occasional site-specific installation that takes over a stairwell. Admission is $10 ($5 for NY State residents), which makes this one of the single best art deals in the city right now.
Your Free Admission Calendar This Week
This is the most important section if you’re on a budget. Several major NYC museums run weekly free-admission windows, and if you plan your week around them, you can hit four museums for zero dollars.
Friday, April 24: MoMA is free to New York State residents every Friday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. — bring ID showing a NY address. This is your shot to see the Duchamp retrospective for free, but arrive right at 5:30 because the line around 6 p.m. gets serious.
Friday, April 24: The Whitney Museum (99 Gansevoort St.) offers free admission every Friday from 5 to 10 p.m. — no residency requirement, open to everyone. The Whitney Biennial is still on view, featuring 56 artists and collectives.
Friday, April 24: Neue Galerie (1048 Fifth Ave.) offers free admission on select Fridays from 5 to 8 p.m. Worth checking their website before you go — the free Fridays don’t run every week.
Any day, 5–7 p.m.: The Morgan Library & Museum (225 Madison Ave.) is free daily from 5 to 7 p.m. This is the most underrated free art window in the city. Two hours is more than enough to see the illuminated manuscripts and a rotating exhibit.
Bank of America Museums on Us — First Weekend of May
A heads-up for next week: if you hold a Bank of America or Merrill card, the first weekend of every month is free at participating museums through Museums on Us. That covers May 2–3 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and many others. Show your card and photo ID at the ticket desk. If you have a BofA card in your wallet, plan your bigger museum day for Saturday, May 2.
Still on View: Closing This Week
A few exhibits close on Sunday, April 19 — you’re catching this guide too late for those. But a note for future planning: the Mad MAD World of Jonathan Adler just closed at the Museum of Arts and Design, and Robert Rauschenberg’s New York just wrapped at the Museum of the City of New York. Lesson learned: check closing dates before you procrastinate.
On the Horizon: What’s Opening in May
If you’re planning ahead, May is loaded. The Met opens Costume Art on May 10, exploring the intersection of fashion and fine art — it runs through January 10, 2027. MoMA is opening a Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera show on May 14 tied to the Metropolitan Opera’s production of El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego, on view through September 12. And the Brooklyn Museum opens an Iris van Herpen couture exhibition on May 16.
A Practical Plan for This Week
Here’s how to do it. Tuesday or Wednesday morning: MoMA for Duchamp, full admission, quieter crowd. Thursday afternoon: MoMA PS1 for Greater New York 2026 (the LIC trip is worth it for the building alone). Friday evening: Whitney for the Biennial at 5 p.m. when it goes free, then walk the High Line before dinner. That’s three serious museum visits in one week, and only one of them costs full price.
The city’s art scene is on fire right now. Don’t let another week pass without seeing at least one of these exhibits.
