Art museums provide a refuge for introspection, a celebration of diversity, and a bridge between the past, present, and future. One such haven in Western New York was recently voted one of the best new museums in America.
The Buffalo AKG Art Museum came in at #2 on the best new art museums in the U.S. according to readers of USA Today.
Buffalo locals will recognize the address as the former Albright-Knox Art Gallery which was founded in 1862 by the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy and opened their first gallery in 1905. It is one of the oldest museums dedicated to the art of our time and their website claims it is the sixth-oldest public art institution in the United States.
The art museum grew over the years, adding new buildings and additions until 1962. Since then, buildings had been renovated, but expansion stopped, until 2019. The museum closed that year to break ground on an expansion of new gallery space and a reimagined education wing.
The project was finally completed and a ribbon cutting ceremony was held in June 2023. The museum has been reimagined as the Buffalo AKG, doubling its gallery size to 50,000 square feet displaying more than 400 works. According to the New York Times, 15% of their permanent collection has yet to be on display.
While there are no Egyptian antiquities or Renaissance paintings here, you will find works by Paul Gauguin, Claude Monet, Jackson Pollock and more.
Until February 2024, all 33 of the museum’s massive paintings by the Abstract Expressionist pioneer Clyfford Still will be featured in the newest gallery building. The Buffalo AKG has the second largest holdings of the artist worldwide after the Clyfford Still Museum’s collection.
Buffalo, steeped in art institutions, has also been touted as a hidden gem for architecture buffs, and is full of Instagrammable locations.
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