When it comes to looking for art, Union Square is home to some of the most impressive pieces of public art in New York City—and with many art galleries and cultural institutions nearby, it's easy to spend an entire weekend just taking in paintings, sculpture, and more.
Below, check out some of StuyTown's favorite public art and galleries around Union Square.
Metronome (a.k.a. Countdown Clock)
1 Union Square South (between Broadway and Fourth Ave.)
https://www.nycgo.com/arts-culture/metronome
The Union Square Metronome is a public art installation on the south side of Union Square and one of the most iconic pieces of Union Square art. Commissioned by the developers of the building at One Union Square South for $4.2 million, it's one of the largest-ever private commissions of public art, with elements that include a large gold spiral that emits steam at certain times of the day. Its LED clock, officially called Climate Clock since September 2020, is counting down to the day in which the worst effects of climate change are officially irreversible.
Talwar Gallery
108 E. 16th St. (between S. Park Ave. and Irving Pl.)
http://talwargallery.com/
Established in 2001, the Talwar Gallery is committed to showcasing new and established contemporary artists from the Indian subcontinent and its diaspora. The dozens of painters, sculptors, and others whose work has been exhibited at the Talwar Gallery include Nasreen Mohamedi, Alia Syed, and Ranjani Shettar.
Union Square Park
Broadway to Fourth Ave., E. 14th St. to E. 17th St.
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/union-square-park
In addition to the Union Square Metronome, Union Square Park is home to many more public art displays, including Henry Kirke Brown's statues of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, as well as Kantilal Patel's statute of Mohandas Gandhi, dedicated in 1986. It also frequently hosts temporary public art installations.
Tibet House
22 W. 15th St. (between Fifth and Sixth avenues)
https://thus.org/
Founded at the request of the Dalai Lama, Tibet House is dedicated to preserving the culture of Tibet. Its gallery showcases four to five exhibitions per year, featuring painting, sculpture, calligraphy, photography, and other art by Tibetan artists and representatives from other Buddhist cultures.
Susan Sheehan Gallery
136 E. 16th St. (between Irving Pl. and Third Ave.)
https://www.susansheehangallery.com/
Located in a mid-19th-century townhouse, the Susan Sheehan Gallery is dedicated to showcasing postwar American printmaking. Its expertise lies in the "American print renaissance" of the 1960s through 1980s, which included Vija Celmins, Ellsworth Kelly, Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly, and other artists.
Lilac Gallery
144 Fifth Ave. (between 19th and 20th streets)
https://www.lilacgallerynyc.com/
Hungarian-born American artist Albert S. Nemethy established "LILAC Fine Art" in 1972 and opened the Lilac Gallery in Manhattan in 2012. Its mission is to bridge fine and contemporary art, focusing on established and emerging artists that use cutting-edge techniques to explore new media. Gallery hours are by appointment only, weekdays from 11am to 7pm and weekends upon request.
Rennert's Gallery
26 W. 17th St. (between Fifth and Sixth avenues)
http://www.rennertsgallery.com/
For more than 40 years, Rennert's Gallery has offered a constantly changing inventory of thousands of vintage and contemporary posters. It also hosts the Poster Art Library, a collection of poster-related new and rare books, and is the caretaker of the Vintage Poster Archive, a database of over 50,000 poster images.
William Secord Gallery
29 W. 15th St. (between Fifth and Sixth avenues)
http://www.dogpainting.com/index_new.cfm
The William Secord Gallery is the only gallery of its kind in North America: it specializes in the sale of dog paintings from the nineteenth and twentieth century. The gallery also represents selected contemporary artists, including Christine Merrill, Pamela Dennis Hall, and Liza Todd Trivey.