The BGC Gallery is closed until Saturday, September 21, for the opening of Sèvres Extraordinaire! Sculpture from 1740 until Today.

First Free Fridays!
First Free Fridays will return October 1, 2024.

Gallery Information
212.501.3023
[email protected]

For information on tours, accessibility, workshops, and public programs, please visit the Gallery page.

For information about visiting the Library, which is available to outside researchers and alumni by appointment only, please visit the Library page.

By Bus:

M86 cross-town, M10 on Central Park West, M7 or M11 on Columbus Avenue. The MTA bus map can be found here.

By Subway:

B or C train to 86th Street and Central Park West; walk a half block west.
1 train to 86th Street and Broadway; walk two and half blocks east.
Click here to use the MTA’s Trip Planner to plan your visit and check schedules.

By Car:

On-street parking in the area is extremely limited. Several garages in the area charge hourly rates, including ones located at 87th street and Columbus, 84th street and Amsterdam, and 83rd street between Columbus and Amsterdam.

BGC advances research in the decorative arts, design history, and material culture. Our exhibitions reflect our scholarly pursuits and serve as the basis for collaboration with colleagues at institutions all over the world. In this spirit of collaboration and inquiry, discussion in the gallery is not frowned upon but encouraged.

The BGC Gallery is housed in an intimate townhouse environment. From time to time when attendance is very high, you may be asked to wait to enter the gallery for a few minutes to enter to ensure the safety of all visitors as well as the objects on display.
Follow the guidance of BGC staff, who are monitoring visitor traffic throughout the building. They are there to help keep everyone safe and comfortable.

BGC visitors and staff have the right to an environment free from abusive, threatening, or inappropriate behavior. We reserve the right to remove any person acting in an unacceptable or inappropriate manner.

Unless otherwise noted, you may take photographs in the gallery for personal, non-commercial purposes only. Flash photography is not permitted.

As a visitor to BGC Gallery, you may be photographed, videotaped, or otherwise recorded. By attending, you grant BGC Gallery permission to use photographs and/or audiovisual recordings in which you appear for archival, documentary, publicity, advertising, or other purposes.

Do not touch the items on display unless specifically encouraged to do so.

Food, drink, smoking, e-cigarettes, weapons, and firearms are strictly prohibited.

Oversized items (larger than 17x15x5 inches), including luggage, backpacks, large purses or tote bags, garment bags, wrapped gifts, strollers, bicycles, scooters, and camera extension poles are not permitted in the gallery. Lockers are available on the lower level of the Gallery if you need to store oversized items.

Please do not visit BGC Gallery if you have a fever or any COVID-19 symptoms, have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 14 days, or have had close contact with anyone who is confirmed to have or suspected of having COVID-19.

Our institution is mask-friendly; we support and encourage those who wish to wear one.

Bard Graduate Center Gallery’s exhibition spaces are sites for understanding, thoughtful questioning, and enjoyment for all people, and comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

In the lobby of our Gallery, staff are available to answer any questions about accessibility. Visitors may also email [email protected] or call 212.501.3023 for more information.

Visitors with disabilities are welcome to pay as they wish at the door. Care-partners and aids are always given complimentary admission when attending Bard Graduate Center with an individual with a disability.

Below are details about accessing Bard Graduate Center Gallery and available programs.

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Traveling To Bard Graduate Center Gallery

The Gallery is located at 18 West 86th Street, between Central Park West and Columbus Avenues in New York City. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) offers reduced fares on its subways, buses, and commuter railroads to customers with disabilities.

By Bus

Uptown: M10, M7 or M11 to 86th Street.
Downtown: M10, M7 or M11 to 86th Street.
Crosstown: M86 to Central Park West and 86th Street.

By Subway

B or C train to 86th Street and Central Park West; walk a half block west.
1 train to 86th Street and Broadway; walk two and half blocks east

Consult The MTA Guide to Accessible Transit for information about reduced fare programs, accessible stations, large print maps, and a variety of other ADA-accessible services MTA agencies provide.

By Car

On-street parking in the area is extremely limited. Several garages in the area charge hourly rates, including ones located at 87th street and Columbus Avenue, 84th street and Amsterdam Avenue, and 83rd street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues.

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Visitors with Limited Mobility

The main entrance to Bard Graduate Center Gallery is located at 18 West 86th Street, a wheelchair lift is available to transport visitors from the street level to the lobby of the gallery.

Inside the Gallery, an elevator brings visitors to all four floors of galleries. In the Academic Building at 38 West 86th Street, an elevator brings visitors to all six floors. A standard manual wheelchair and portable stools are available free of charge on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Restrooms are located on the lower level of both buildings, where there are also lockers for coats and valuables, and a water fountain. Bard Graduate Center’s restrooms are wheelchair accessible.

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Visitors Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Assistive listening devices are available for all programs that take place in our lecture hall.

American Sign Language interpretation and CART Captioning is available for Bard Graduate Center programs by request with two weeks notice.

To place a request for additional services, email [email protected] or call 212.501.3023. This service is free of charge.

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Visitors with Vision Loss

Large-print labels are available at the Gallery admission desk and also can be downloaded from our website. Verbal description tours of exhibitions are available by request.

Braille is available on all our facilities signage.

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Service Dogs

All service dogs are welcome.

Bard Graduate Center’s partner institutions, what we call our “Cultural Sciences Campus,” include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New-York Historical Society, the American Museum of Natural History, the Frick Collection, and the Museum of Arts and Design, all of which are located a short walk or subway ride away. Our relationships with these partners extend through exhibition programs to shared faculty. Read more about these partnerships and projects here and zoom in on the map above to plan your trip, which can easily accommodate a visit to several institutions in one day.