NYC 's Museum of the National Academy of Design - New York City

The National Academy of Design was founded in 1825 as a school of art and for the sake of holding annual exhibitions of contemporary art. This was a time when there were no art schools in New York and few public art galleries.

Its Museum "maintains one of the foremost collections of American art in the world, including paintings, sculpture, prints, and drawings. Works from the collection provide an extraordinary resource for a rich assortment of special exhibitions of American and European art."

Within its holdings are 2,200 paintings, 240 sculptures and approximately 5,000 works on paper by over 1,500 artists. What's interesting about this collection is the following: artists who've provided artistic works to the Museum have in the past also provided a painting of themselves, resulting in an extensive collection of American Artists portraits.

Also available at the Academy are lectures, symposia, gallery talks, tours and other educational programs.

Admission:
General public: $8.00
Senior citizens: $4.50
Students: $4.50
Friends of the Academy: Free

You could visit their site as well as the National Academy School of Fine Arts

Getting There by Subway: Lexington Avenue 4, 5, or 6 to 86th Street Station