Grey Art Museum

Grey Art Museum The Grey Art Museum is NYU's fine arts museum. Located at 18 Cooper Square since March 2024. Eating or drinking is not permitted inside the museum.

COVID-19 Protocols:

All visitors must present proof of vaccination and photo identification upon entering the museum. Documentation must show proof that the visitor has received an FDA-authorized or WHO-listed vaccine and is up to date on their vaccinations (including booster, if eligible). Everyone must wear a mask that covers both the mouth and nose at all times. We ask that you postpone your

visit to the museum, regardless of vaccination status, if:
*You have a fever or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
*You’ve tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 14 days.
*You’ve had close contact with anyone who is confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19. You and everyone in your group, including children, must comply with the protocols described above. Noncompliance may result in removal from the building. Thank you for your cooperation.

Congratulations to the Grey’s Student Friends Committee for another great year! The SFC’s spring event “Print & Preserve...
05/06/2026

Congratulations to the Grey’s Student Friends Committee for another great year! The SFC’s spring event “Print & Preserve” was a big hit, doubling last year’s attendance, as students participated in a hands-on screen printing workshop inspired by the Grey’s exhibition, “Handle with Care: Robert Rauschenberg’s Ecological Conscience.”

In addition to the student workshop and many productive general meetings, highlights from the year include a panel discussion with Grey staff and gallery walkthroughs. The SFC shares what they’re up to on social media—be sure to follow their page !

The Student Friends Committee is a working group of NYU undergraduates that fosters student leadership by connecting the New York University student body to the Grey Art Museum.

Circle back in the fall to hear how to join!

__
Images: Courtesy Grey's Student Friends Committee

Attention, NYU Students: Our 2026–2027 internship positions are officially open! ✨Apply now: positions are listed on Han...
04/24/2026

Attention, NYU Students: Our 2026–2027 internship positions are officially open! ✨

Apply now: positions are listed on Handshake (you can find the Grey Art Museum as a division under NYU).

Visit the link in our bio to apply!

New York University

NYU students: Join the Grey’s Student Friends Committee for their student spring event, “Print & Preserve,” a hands-on s...
04/07/2026

NYU students: Join the Grey’s Student Friends Committee for their student spring event, “Print & Preserve,” a hands-on screenprinting workshop this Thursday! 🎨

Inspired by Robert Rauschenberg’s belief that “art can encourage individual conscience,” this beginner-friendly session invites NYU students to explore sustainability and creative reuse. ♻️

Drawing from the Grey’s current exhibition, “Handle with Care,” printmaking will be used as a medium for reflection and collective action.

👕Participants are encouraged to bring small garments or fabric pieces to transform through screenprinting. There will also be supplies on hand to create unique, textured greeting cards.

Through experimental layering and found materials, come discover how art can foster artistic expression and environmental awareness. See you there!

🗓️ Thursday, April 9, 6–9 pm
📍 20 Cooper Square, Room 101

Registration and active NYU ID required. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/print-preserve-printing-workshop-for-nyu-students-tickets-1984981513140?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

—
“Handle with Care: Robert Rauschenberg’s Ecological Conscience” is organized by the Grey Art Museum with support from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. This exhibition is part of the Rauschenberg centennial celebrations.

Image: Robert Rauschenberg, “Deposit,” from “America: The Third Century” portfolio, 1975. Screen print with hand coloring on paper, 31 x 23 in. Published by Mobil Oil Corporation, New York. Printed by Styria Studio, New York. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art Collection. Gift of The Mobil Oil Corporation, 1976.1h © 2025 Robert Rauschenberg Foundation

FINAL WEEK: Don’t miss “Irriṯitja Kuwarri Tjungu” before it closes this Saturday, April 11! ⏳There are only a few days l...
04/07/2026

FINAL WEEK: Don’t miss “Irriṯitja Kuwarri Tjungu” before it closes this Saturday, April 11! ⏳

There are only a few days left to experience the 50-year legacy of the Papunya Tula Artists at the Grey.

The exhibition reveals the deep, ongoing relationship between Aboriginal artists, the places they paint, and Tjukurrpa (Ancestral Dreamings)—a state where past and present exist together.

The success of Papunya Tula Artists has not only changed the face of contemporary art but has allowed generations of artists to remain on their ancestral lands, providing vital opportunities for local community development.

Plan your final visit:
📍 NYU’s Grey Art Museum, 18 Cooper Square
🗓️ Last day: Saturday, April 11
🕚 Hours: 11 am–6 pm (Wednesdays until 8 pm, Saturdays until 5 pm)

Come see these striking works in person before they leave New York!
__

The exhibition is organized by of the in partnership with

Images: Installation view of ‘’Irrititja Kuwarri Tjungu: Contemporary Aboriginal Painting from the Australian Desert.’’ Courtesy Grey Art Museum, New York University. Photo: Mikhail Mishin (.photo)

In 2009, the Grey presented “Icons of the Desert,” an exhibition of early foundational works of Papunya Tula Artists. Se...
04/02/2026

In 2009, the Grey presented “Icons of the Desert,” an exhibition of early foundational works of Papunya Tula Artists. Seventeen years later, “Irriṯitja Kuwarri Tjungu” returns to that history—honoring and extending the 50-year legacy of the company’s founding artists.

Both exhibitions have benefited from the critical contributions of Dr. Fred R. Myers, NYU Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and a renowned cultural anthropologist who has studied the practices of Papunya artists since the beginning of the region’s painting revolution in 1973.

As one of the movement’s most prominent international advocates, his continued involvement with the community was instrumental in bringing both of these foundational surveys to NYU.

📸 Swipe through to see:
Highlights from Dr. Fred R. Myers’ lecture last week, “Making a Cultural Future: The Work of Papunya Tula Artists,” exhibition walkthrough photos, and throwback photos from the 2009 presentation of “Icons of the Desert.”

Images:
1–5: Photos from Dr. Fred R. Myers’ lecture. Courtesy Grey Art Museum, NYU
6: Fred R. Myers, Michèle Wong, and Laurie Duke at the opening reception for “Irriṯitja Kuwarri Tjungu.” Photo: Marian Goldman
7-8: Photos from an exhibition walkthrough led by Fred R. Myers for Professor Jane Anderson’s “Heritage, Memory, and Negotiating Temporalities” class. Courtesy Grey Art Museum, NYU
9-10: Behind-the-scenes installation images from “Icons of the Desert” (2009). Courtesy Fred R. Myers

Join a delegation of Wabanaki artists, cultural leaders, and partners for an evening of visual storytelling and conversa...
04/01/2026

Join a delegation of Wabanaki artists, cultural leaders, and partners for an evening of visual storytelling and conversation about Tekαkαpimək Contact Station at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, situated in the traditional and present day homeland of the Penobscot Nation.

Tekαkαpimək serves as an Indigenous-led model for place-based interpretation, cultural continuity, and the role of contemporary art in sustaining community resilience.

Speakers will address how long-term relationships, community authority, and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) frameworks make it possible to share language, stories, and site-specific knowledge within a permanent public space.

🗓️ April 8, 6–8 pm
📍20 Cooper Square, Room 101

Presented in conjunction with the Grey Art Museum’s current exhibition, “Irriṯitja Kuwarri Tjungu,” this program considers how Indigenous art and cultural practice can support self-determination, community resilience, and kinship relationships across time.

Speakers:

• Nick Francis (Penobscot), Executive Director, Wabanaki Community Foundation
• Gabriel Frey (Passamaquoddy), basketmaker and artist
• Suzanne Greenlaw (Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians), ecologist, artist, and writer
• Jennifer Sapiel Neptune (Penobscot), basketmaker and writer
• Lucas St. Clair, President, Elliotsville Foundation
• Moderated by Prof. Jane Anderson (Anthropology and Museum Studies, New York University), co-founder of Local Contexts and Indigenous Intellectual and Cultural Property (ICIP) consultant.

Registration required—link in bio to attend!

03/27/2026

Fifty years ago, a painting movement emerged at Papunya in Aus­tralia’s Central Desert. It arose with such force and convic­tion that one could be forgiven for thinking it had existed forever, as though etched from the earth by the slow pas­sage of time.

In fact, formed in the aftermath of colonization, the enduring art movement is as much a product of recent his­torical circumstances as the ancient traditions on which it draws.

“Irriṯitja Kuwarri Tjungu” celebrates fifty years of Papunya Tula Artists—Australia’s oldest Aboriginal-owned arts organization.

The exhibition traces their journey from the first experiments on scraps of cardboard, linoleum, and Masonite through to the epic abstract paintings that are showcased internationally today.

Come view these works in person through April 11 at NYU’s Grey Art Museum.

“Irriṯitja Kuwarri Tjungu: Contemporary Aboriginal Painting from the Australian Desert” is organized by Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia in partnership with Papunya Tula Artists.

[NOW VIRTUAL] Lecture by Dr. Fred R. Myers | Making a Cultural Future: The Work of Papunya Tula ArtistsTo celebrate the ...
03/23/2026

[NOW VIRTUAL] Lecture by Dr. Fred R. Myers | Making a Cultural Future: The Work of Papunya Tula Artists

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Papunya Tula Artists (), the Grey will host a lecture by Dr. Fred R. Myers (, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, NYU) that discusses some of the social and political achievements of this important cooperative of Aboriginal Australian artists.
Since 1973 Myers has served as one of Papunya Tula’s most prominent international advocates, authoring multiple books and edited volumes on Pintupi culture including “Irriṯitja Kuwarri Tjungu”’s catalogue. His talk will emphasize the artists’ role in sustaining and extending the Pintupi project of self-determination and explore some of the social spaces created by their paintings.

March 25, 2026 6:00–7:30 pm ET
Via Zoom

🔗 RSVP is required—zoom registration link is in our bio!

Co-sponsored by the Center for Media, Culture, and History, NYU; the Department of Anthropology, NYU; and NYU Liberal Studies.

The exhibition is organized by the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection () of the University of Virginia () in partnership with Papunya Tula Artists ().
__

Image: Shorty Lungkarta Tjungurrayi, “Rumiya Tjukurrpa (Goanna Dreaming at Wantarritja)” (formerly “Patterns in the Sand”), 1980. Synthetic polymer paint on composition board, 24 x 26 in. (61 x 66 cm). Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. Gift of Maria Tussi Kluge, 2012, 2012.0003.001 © Estate of the artist. Licensed by Aboriginal Artists Agency Ltd. Photo: Neil Greentree

It was a joy to welcome former Grey Art Museum Director Lynn Gumpert back to NYU for a walkthrough of “Irriṯitja Kuwarri...
03/23/2026

It was a joy to welcome former Grey Art Museum Director Lynn Gumpert back to NYU for a walkthrough of “Irriṯitja Kuwarri Tjungu” with Grey Interim Director Michèle Wong, Dr. Fred Myers, and Dr. Faye Ginsburg.

In 2009, during Lynn’s tenure as director, the Grey presented early works by Papunya Tula Artists in the exhibition “Icons of the Desert.”

Don’t miss the opportunity to see the current show for yourself—“Irriṯitja Kuwarri Tjungu” is on view through April 11!

Image: (L-R) Faye Ginsburg, Fred Myers, Lynn Gumpert, and Michèle Wong.

The circular forms and vibrant umbers of Naata Nungurrayi’s painting “Karilywarra” transport the viewer to the red bould...
03/20/2026

The circular forms and vibrant umbers of Naata Nungurrayi’s painting “Karilywarra” transport the viewer to the red boulders and winding ridges of Karilywarra, a sacred place where Kuniya Kutjarra, or Two Carpet Snake ancestors, camped during the Tjukurrpa.

The site is marked by two ridged boulders created by the coiled forms of the snakes when they turned to stone. Karilywarra has been an inspiration to Aboriginal men and women artists alike, demonstrating a sustained need to maintain connection with sacred sites.

“Irriṯitja Kuwarri Tjungu: Contemporary Aboriginal Painting from the Australian Desert” is on view at NYU’s Grey Art Museum through April 11.

The exhibition is organized by Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection () of the University of Virginia () in partnership with Papunya Tula Artists ()

——

Video: Detail of Naata Nungurrayi, “Karilywarra,” 2010.
Image: Naata Nungurrayi, “Karilywarra,” 2010. Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 60 x 48 in. (152.4 x 121.9 cm). Collection of Steve Martin () and Anne Stringfield © Estate of the artist. Licensed by Aboriginal Artists Agency Ltd. Image courtesy Gagosian ()

Address

18 Cooper Square
New York, NY
10003

Opening Hours

Tuesday 11am - 6pm
Wednesday 11am - 6pm
Thursday 11am - 6pm
Friday 11am - 6pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Grey Art Museum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category