Quick answer
The Noguchi Museum is a museum and sculpture garden in Long Island City, Queens, designed by the Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi and opened in 1985 — the first museum established by a living artist in America. His studio stands across the street.
Full transcript
One artist's museum
The Noguchi Museum is a museum a sculptor designed for his own work, opened in 1985 across the street from Isamu Noguchi's studio in Long Island City, Queens. It was the first museum in America established by a living artist, and Noguchi, who lived from 1904 to 1988, planned every room of it. He bought the building that became the museum in 1974 and, with the foundation, added the neighboring service station seven years later, uniting the whole block. Stand in the entrance court and the whole composition — building, garden, river light — is his.
Stone, paper, light
Inside, the galleries hold the range of a restless career: carved basalt and granite, bronze, plywood furniture, stage sets, and the Akari paper lanterns he designed with a lantern maker. Outside, the sculpture garden sets large pieces among trees and gravel, with the skyline beyond. The two-story museum covers about 24,000 square feet, and after a 2004 renovation it now has 12 galleries, so a full circuit takes an hour or two, not a day. Walk the garden first, then come back inside.
How to do it
Get off the N or W train at Broadway and walk the short distance to Vernon Boulevard. See the garden before the galleries — the outdoor light is the one thing the museum cannot control. Save time for the benches inside the galleries, because Noguchi designed them to be sat on, and for the shop, which sells Akari lamps you can actually take home. Sit in the garden a while before you leave.