Whitney Museum of American Art

The boxy gray building with the wedge-shaped front at the corner of Madison Avenue and 75th Street is the Whitney Museum of American Art (945 Madison Ave., 212/570-3676, www.whitney.org [1], 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Wed.–Sun., 6–9 p.m. pay-as-you-wish Fri., adults $18, students, youth 19–25 and seniors $12, children under 18 free). Designed by Marcel Breuer in 1966, the museum offers plenty to see but not enough to overwhelm.

Many of the museum’s changing exhibits feature the work of 20th-century American artists. The museum is also known for its superb permanent collection and its controversial “Biennial” show, presented every two years (2010, 2012) to showcase the latest works of contemporary American artists.