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The Art-Tastic Lower East Side

If you’re looking for the newest, most interesting, cutting edge art and design in New York City, you need to get low, the Lower East Side that is. Artists have always congregated where the city was most vibrant (and where there was open space and low rents), first in SoHo, and then in Chelsea. Now the area starting at the Bowery and flowing down East Houston Street into the tiny tributary streets that lead east are where you’ll find kaleidoscopic street murals, intimate galleries, and huge art-filled spacesincluding the newest hotel in New York City, the art-filled Hotel Indigo Lower East Side.

Here’s how to soak up the most art in NYC on the LES:

Hotel Indigo Lower East Side—There are galleries throughout the world that have less impressive offerings in their entire space than you’ll see on the ground floor of Hotel Indigo. Three larger-than-life sculptures by local artist Mr. Brainwash await in the industrial-style entrance, including a rainbow-paint-dripped rearing white equine and a 10-foot tall Warhol-esque tomato soup spraypaint can. Upstairs in the 14th floor lobby lounge, a ceiling mural hand-painted by legendary LES street artist Lee Quinones illuminates some of the highlights of this evolving neighborhood, from musical firsts (Blondie) to the area’s history as a haven for immigrants and their small shops. The hotel was 10 years in the making, and since they staked space on Ludlow Street before the recent wave of shops, boutique hotels, and hip restaurants set up shop, they were able to secure the air rights—meaning the views from the floor to ceiling windows are as interesting as the interiors. If you spring for one of the spacious, sleek rooms, you’ll be greeted by original art on every floor. Can’t spend the night? Mr. Purple, the rooftop restaurant and late-night lounge by the Gerber Group, gives you a perfect perch over the neighborhood and its graffiti.

New Museum

New Museum (Facebook)

A quick 10-minute walk from Indigo is the one-stop-intro to contemporary art appreciation that is The New Museum, located on the Bowery. Here, five floors are filled with rotating exhibits that explore all aspects of art in the aughts (and after), with sculpture, paintings, video, and multi-faceted installations that break the traditional boundaries of the art world. Sign up for one of the free guided tours to delve deeper into these always-fascinating collections.

After you’ve explored the biggest art attractions in the neighborhood, try out some of the smallest; there are as many independent galleries in the neighborhood as there are spots to take selfies. Starting at the New Museum, head to Canada Gallery, just off of Bowery, a long-running space that presents nearly a dozen shows a year of photography, paintings, and drawings. Woodward Gallery, on Eldridge Street, has been an art anchor of the neighborhood for 20 years. It shows both new artists and works by well-known names from its archives, such as Robert Indiana, Andy Warhol, and Jean-Michel Basquiat in a two-floor space.

Ghost Bar

(Need a break? Ghost Bar is a friendly spot with excellent cocktails and tasty bites across the street from Wentworth Gallery, which owns the spot. They’ll happily sell you a painting to go with your Eldridge Sazerac, too. Oh, and that Warhol over the cash register? It’s real.)

Continuing the art loop from Eldridge, turn onto Stanton, which is filled with jewel-box galleries nestled into the narrow street. Dacia Gallery (number 53) is a standout, with museum-quality narrative paintings and sculpture, and a welcoming staff that’s happy to have passersby attend their frequent openings and artist receptions.

Head back to Ludlow, where Anastasia Photo highlights documentary photography and photojournalism, just a block away from Hotel Indigo. The duplex space hosts a half dozen shows a year, such as the recent George Steinmetz show “New York Air”:  wall-size images of New York shot from a helicopter.

Con Artist Collective

Con Artist Collective (Facebook)

Down the street, Con Artist Collective is a shoebox with works by up-and-coming artists and incredibly friendly artists and prices, in case you’ve been inspired to start an art collection of your own.

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