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From May 8 through July 10, 2026, New York University and The Berkley Collection will present The Declaration of Independence: Long Trail to Liberty. For extended hours and more, visit theberkley.org.

Grey Art Museum programming will resume on September 9, 2026, with by Alison Knowles: A Retrospective (1960–2022) and Making Music: Helen Frankenthaler Prints from the New York University Art Collection.
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An art gallery interior with varied artworks on display, including framed paintings, a wooden sculpture, and a display table with a glass case.
Modernisms: Iranian, Turkish, and Indian Highlights from NYU’s Abby Weed Grey Collection at Grey Art Museum, NYU, 2019.… Modernisms: Iranian, Turkish, and Indian Highlights from NYU’s Abby Weed Grey Collection at Grey Art Museum, NYU, 2019. Photo: Nicholas Papananias

The New York University Art Collection

The NYU Art Collection, which the Grey Art Museum has stewarded since its opening in 1975, was initiated in 1958 with Francis Picabia’s Résonateur (c. 1922) and Fritz Glarner’s Relational Painting (1949–50). Today, the collection includes nearly 7,000 objects and is primarily composed of late-19th- and 20th-century works, ranging from Pablo Picasso’s monumental public sculpture Bust of Sylvette (1968), to one of Joseph Cornell's boxes, Chocolat Menier (1952), to a bronze Heech sculpture (1972) by Iranian modernist Parviz Tanavoli. The NYU Art Collection includes major donated acquisitions, such as the Abby Weed Grey Collection of Modern Asian and Middle Eastern Art and the Cottrell-Lovett Collection

 

Explore a partial list of artists in the NYU Art Collection at the bottom of this page.

The collection’s particular strength is American painting from the 1940s to the present, with works by such well-known artists as Romare Bearden, Helen Frankenthaler, Arshile Gorky, Adolph Gottlieb, Louise Nevelson, Kenneth Noland, and Ad Reinhardt. European prints are also well represented, with works by Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, and Picasso, to name a few. 

When Abby Weed Grey endowed the Grey Art Museum in 1974, she expanded the NYU Art Collection with a gift of some 1,000 works of modern art that she acquired during her frequent travels in Asia and the Middle East. Truly an unparalleled and unique resource, the Abby Weed Grey Collection of Modern Asian and Middle Eastern Art includes some of the largest institutional holdings of Iranian, Indian, and Turkish modern art outside those countries.

One focus of Grey Art Museum acquisitions is art that has emerged from downtown New York’s creative milieu, as seen in works by Norman Bluhm, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Deborah Kass, and Glenn Ligon, among others. In 2022 the museum announced a major gift of over 200 works by downtown New York artists from longtime art patrons and social activists Dr. James Cottrell and Mr. Joseph Lovett.

Featured Artworks

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Abstract painting with a vertical post-like structure adorned with colored shapes and inscriptions on a muted background. Alt-text generated by AI.
Shanti Dave, Composition #1, 1968. Oil and wax on canvas, 31 3/4 x 16 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art…
Abstract painting of a seated figure smoking a hookah against a blue background. Alt-text generated by AI.
Maqbool Fida (M.F.) Husain, Virgin Night, 1964. Oil on canvas, 39 3/4 x 29 1/2 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art…
Abstract painting of a dark, textured form with a red orb above, on an earthy background. Alt-text generated by AI.
Ambadas, Faceless Divinity, 1968. Oil on canvas, 60 1/8 x 36 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art Collection. Gift…
Artwork depicting a blue-skinned figure with a butterfly and a large red and blue serpent. Alt-text generated by AI.
Ambadas, Krishna Dancing on a Snake, 1968. Watercolor on paper, 7 3/8 × 7 1/2 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art…
Abstract painting of two figures in a natural setting, with earthy tones and textured background. Alt-text generated by AI.
Jaya Appasamy, Earth Mother with Child, 1965. Oil on canvas, 18 x 26 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art…
Abstract scene with three human-like figures in a green and blue landscape. Alt-text generated by AI.
Jaya Appasamy, Ethonic Figures, 1967. Oil on canvas, 35 3/4 x 48 1/4 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art…
Abstract artwork with colorful geometric shapes and playing card collages. Alt-text generated by AI.
Prabhakar Barwe, King and Queen of Spades, 1967. Oil and paper on canvas, 39 3/16 x 54 1/8 in. Grey Art Museum, New York…
Abstract red painting featuring a stylized turtle with multiple faces and textual elements. Alt-text generated by AI.
Prabhakar Barwe, Yantra III, 1964. Watercolor, ink, and silver paper on paper, 19 3/8 x 29 1/8 in. Grey Art Museum, New York…
A tall brown sculpture with geometric shapes and carvings. Alt-text generated by AI.
Dhanraj Bhagat, Symbols, 1968. Wood and nails, 48 x 7 3/4 x 4 3/4 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art Collection.…
Abstract painting with geometric shapes in blue, black, white, and green tones. Alt-text generated by AI.
Bimal Das Gupta, Night Street Scene, 1966. Oil on canvas, 30 x 25 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art Collection.…
Abstract painting with dark angular and vertical forms on a blended gray-blue background. Alt-text generated by AI.
Satish Gujral, Christ in the Desert, 1960. Oil on canvas, 20 3/4 x 37 1/4 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art…
Abstract artwork with textured brown, white, and green forms against a dark background. Alt-text generated by AI.
Somnath Hore, Birth of a White Rose, 1961. Etching on paper, 19 3/4 x 17 3/4 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art…
Abstract artwork of a humanoid figure crouching over an animal form, set against a textured green and brown background. Alt-text generated by AI.
Somnath Hore, Shepherd, 1965. Etching on paper, 11 x 15 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art Collection. Gift of…
Abstract depiction of a reclining figure in earthy tones against a dark textured background. Alt-text generated by AI.
Somnath Hore, The Long Nude, 1965. Etching on paper, 15 x 18 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art Collection. Gift…
Abstract black and white painting with flowing forms suggesting human contours. Alt-text generated by AI.
Krishen Khanna, Vijay (Victory), 1965. Ink wash on paper, 36 1/2 x 23 3/4 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art…
Abstract artwork with a black and gray mesh pattern and red blotches. Alt-text generated by AI.
Chitrangada Krishna, Composition, n.d. Embossed etching and watercolor on paper, 10 1/4 x 8 1/4 in. Grey Art Museum, New…
Abstract artwork with a textured, dark-toned face and vertical lines. Alt-text generated by AI.
Devayani Krishna, Veiled Mask, n.d. Etching on paper, 15 3/4 x 9 7/8 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art…
Abstract artwork with three textured, orange and yellow shapes on a dark, cracked background. Alt-text generated by AI.
Kanwal Krishna, Gay Scorpions, 1962. Etching on paper, 22 1/4 x 18 3/4 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art…
Abstract artwork with yellow and green sunburst pattern and black overlapping lines on a muted background. Alt-text generated by AI.
Kanwal Krishna, Shivering Sun, 1960. Etching and aquatint on paper, 15 1/4 x 17 1/4 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University…
Abstract painting with geometric shapes in green and brown against a blue background. Includes a circular shape at the top. Alt-text generated by AI.
Ram Kumar, Kashmir, 1963. Oil on canvas, 32 1/4 x 19 3/4 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art Collection. Gift of…
Abstract artwork with bold black strokes on a light background, featuring rectangular and diagonal shapes. Alt-text generated by AI.
Ram Kumar, Untitled, 1970. Charcoal and ink on paper, 23 x 29 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art Collection. Gift…
Abstract painting with earthy colors and stone-like shapes. Alt-text generated by AI.
Anjolie Ela Menon, Old Delhi, 1965. Oil on canvas, 24 3/4 x 24 1/2 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art Collection.…
Abstract artwork with geometric shapes, textured surfaces, and intersecting lines in shades of gray, red, blue, and black. Alt-text generated by AI.
Krishna Reddy, Bulging Tuatara, c. 1953. Etching on paper, 26 x 19 3/4 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art…
Abstract artwork with intersecting vertical and horizontal lines over a textured, earth-toned background. Alt-text generated by AI.
Krishna Reddy, Many and the One, 1971. Etching on paper, 16 x 22 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art Collection.…
An abstract artwork with a central brown textured shape surrounded by colorful patterns and intricate lines. Alt-text generated by AI.
Krishna Reddy, Seed Pushing, 1961. Etching on paper, 19 3/4 x 26 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art Collection.…
Abstract painting with colorful rectangles and black glyph-like symbols. Alt-text generated by AI.
Mohan Samant, Door of the Heart, 1964. Acrylic and sand on canvasboard, 38 x 48 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art…
An abstract expressionistic painting with textured brushstrokes in black, grey, yellow, and orange. Alt-text generated by AI.
Gulam Rasool Santosh, Myself Crucified, 1963. Oil on canvas, 47 1/4 x 23 1/16 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art…
An abstract painting with vivid colors and dynamic brushstrokes, featuring a mix of green, blue, red, and yellow hues. alt-text generated by AI
Francis Newton (F.N.) Souza, Trimurti, 1971. Oil on canvas board, 30 x 24 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art…
Abstract artwork featuring stylized figures and symbolic motifs in earthy tones. Alt-text generated by AI.
Mumtaz Sultan Ali, Her Dream, 1969. Etching on paper, 7 x 9 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art Collection. Gift of…
Surreal monochrome illustration of an abstract building and a creature resembling a camel or horse viewed from the back. Alt-text generated by AI.
Vivan Sundaram, Camel, 1965. Ink on paper, 14 3/8 x 10 1/2 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art Collection. Gift of…
A composition of two contrasting sculptures; a large, weathered stone figure and a small, smooth metallic female figure on a black background. Alt-text generated by AI.
Vivan Sundaram, Keep Slim, 1965. Collage of ink and photograph on paper, 11 1/8 x 9 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University…
Abstract artwork with swirling, colorful patterns suggesting facial features. Alt-text generated by AI.
Jehangir P. Vazifdar, Self Portrait, 1965. Oil on canvas, 45 x 35 3/4 in. Grey Art Museum, New York University Art…

Collection Highlights

Artists in the Collection

Shiva Ahmadi

Mahmud Ahmadi

Nevzat Akoral

Ambadas

Jaya Appasamy

Siah Armajani

Mustafa Aslier

Milton Avery

Donald Baechler

Jamal Bakhshpour

Prabhakar Barwe

Romare Bearden

Aliye Berger

Nurullah Berk

Sabri Berkel

Sadan Bezeyis

Dhanraj Bhagat

Norman Bluhm

Ilya Bolotowsky

James Brown

Ali Avni Çelebi

Joseph Cornell

Bimal Das Gupta

Shanti Dave

Elaine De Kooning

Willem De Kooning

Sonia Delaunay

Nejad Melih Devrim

Kamran Diba

Bijan Dowlatshahi

Âbidin Elderoğlu

Devrim Erbil

Cemil Eren

Ahmad Esfandiari

Mustafa Esirkus

Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu

Eren Eyüboğlu

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian

Roland Flexner

Helen Frankenthaler

Adam Fuss

Mansour Ghandriz

Fritz Glarner

Gündüz Gölünü

Behrooz Golzari

Arshile Gorky

Adolph Gottlieb

Marcos Grigorian

Satish Gujral

Ahmet Gürsoy

Grace Hartigan

Mary Heilmann

Al Held

Hans Hofmann

Somnath Hore

Peter Hujar

Maqbool Fida Husain

Nevin Islek

Mahmud Javadipur

Özer Kabaş

Ercüment Kalmık

Deborah Kass

Alex Katz

Hasan Kavruk

Fethi Kayaalp

Hossein Kazemi

Adrian Kellard

Krishen Khanna

Hossein Khatayi

Sumbat Kiureghian

Füreya Koral

Chitrangada Krishna

Devayani Krishna

Kanwal Krishna

Nicholas Krushenick

Ram Kumar

Yayoi Kusama

Glenn Ligon

Tom Lloyd

Sirous Malek

Édouard Manet

Robert Mapplethorpe

Agnes Martin

Seyhoun Masoumeh

Henri Matisse

Suzanne McClelland

Anjolie Ela Menon

Joan Mirò

Morteza Momayez

Robert Motherwell

Mir-Hossein Mousavi (Khameneh)

Louise Nevelson

Kenneth Noland

Nasser Ovissi

Ru'in Pakbaz

Francis Picabia

Pablo Picasso

Faramarz Pilaram

Robert Rauschenberg

Krishna Reddy

Ad Reinhardt

Bernard (Tony) Rosenthal

Behjat Sadr

Mohan Samant

Gulam Rasool Santosh

Sohrab Sepehri

Cindy Sherman

Laurie Simmons

Philip Smith

Francis Newton Souza

Mumtaz Sultan Ali

Vivan Sundaram

Jazeh Tabatabai

Sadegh Tabrizi

Parviz Tanavoli

Esmail Tavakoli

Adnan Turani

Jehangir P. Vazifdar

Kara Walker

Hamid Zarrine-Afsar

Fahrelnissa Zeid

Charles Hossein Zenderoudi