"The Dahesh Museum is the only museum in America dedicated to collecting and exhibiting 19th- and early 20th-century European academic art, which is the continuation of the great Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo traditions in the visual arts. The Museum is a leader in rediscovering the rich art and history of the French Salon, the British Royal Academy and other centers of tradition throughout the Western world."
The Dahesh Museum is on Fifth Avenue, near the American Craft Museum and MoMA. Right in the middle of a shopping district, expensive stores envelope the small museum on all sides; the first floor of the museum building is an unrelated store, with the gallery occupying the second floor. It's not a space where you would expect to find a museum, but there it is.
Devoted entirely to 19th- and early 20th-century European academic art, the collection includes landscapes, ancient ruins, and a few portraits. If you peruse quickly you can see everything in an hour or less. It's free, so there's no reason not to stop in for a look if you are in the neighborhood.
The gift shop offers Publications, Posters & Postcards, Books, apparel and accessories. from the exhibits. Proceeds supports the museum's exhibitions and public programs.