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Chelsea Contemporary Art Tour: NYC Critic-Led
5.0
64 Ratings
New York
Join a small group tour led by a local art critic in New York City. Explore the most talked-about exhibitions and gain insights from an expert guide.
Join a small group tour led by a local art critic in New York City. Explore the most talked-about exhibitions and gain insights from an expert guide.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Chelsea - On this 2-hour tour, you’ll visit approximately seven of the most important contemporary art gallery shows of the moment, seeing and discussing artwork in variety of media. Exhibitions change every five to six weeks, so there is always something new to see. Your itinerary will include a range of mega-galleries and smaller space showing artwork by nationally and internationally acclaimed artists.
- Chelsea - On this 2-hour tour, you’ll visit approximately seven of the most important contemporary art gallery shows of the moment, seeing and discussing artwork in variety of media. Exhibitions change every five to six weeks, so there is always something new to see. Your itinerary will include a range of mega-galleries and smaller space showing artwork by nationally and internationally acclaimed artists.
What's Included
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- Experienced local tour guide
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- Inclusive of all taxes and fees
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- Experienced local tour guide
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- Inclusive of all taxes and fees
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Gratuities
Additional Information
A local art critic, writer, and college instructor are your certified tour guide. She has designed and conducted tours in New York’s galleries and museums for more than fifteen years and will guide you to the most current prominent exhibitions. Within our intimate group, there is the open invitation for you to raise questions and share your thoughts…
A local art critic, writer, and college instructor are your certified tour guide. She has designed and conducted tours in New York’s galleries and museums for more than fifteen years and will guide you to the most current prominent exhibitions. Within our intimate group, there is the open invitation for you to raise questions and share your thoughts while your guide offers context on the top showcases in New York City!
- Tours take place rain or shine and meet in a different gallery for each tour. A message with the meeting location will be sent prior to the tour.
- Your tour guide is licensed by New York City’s Department of Consumer Affairs as a tour guide and is a member of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA USA).
- Some galleries have stairs. Please let us know in advance if you need to avoid stairs so we can make sure the itinerary is accessible.
- Travelers should be able to stand and walk for two hours. Seating is usually not available.
Location
Chelsea
Departure Point: Chelsea, NYC
Address: Tours meet in a different location in Chelsea for each tour. Please look for a message prior to the tour with our meeting location. Exact location will be confirmed one week prior to the tour, but please get in touch if you need a more precise location sooner.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(64 Ratings)
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Marisa_w
Mar 6, 2026
Merrily’s passion for art is captivating! Can’t wait to take this tour again! - Such an incredible tour! Merrily is incredibly passionate and knowledgeable about all things art and it showed as she energetically showed me around the galleries. Although I’ve lived in NYC for 18 years, I’ve never gone through the Chelsea art galleries and having Merrily as an expert guide was a great way to get introduced to these spaces and the artists’ works inside. She selected a nice variety of galleries and exhibitions so that we saw a diverse set of media and artists ranging from photography, paintings, sculptures and even performance art.
Lastly, when I arrived, Merrily told me I was her only tour guest for the day! I’m so impressed she didn’t reschedule or cancel and I had the best day getting to explore with her and ask questions. Since what’s on at the galleries is always rotating, I will definitely take this tour with her again, as well as her architecture tour!
Review provided by Viator
Janick
Feb 21, 2026
Great tour in Feb 2026 - Merrily our guide was exceptional , very knowledgeable and friendly for the tour
Highly recommend the tour for everyone and you will learn a lot
Review provided by Tripadvisor
855jordang
Nov 1, 2025
A Taste of Chelsea Art Scene - New York City has so much to offer when it comes to art — you could easily spend a week (or more) exploring its many facets. What made this experience truly special, though, was how it took us off the beaten path and offered a fresh glimpse into Chelsea’s vibrant art scene.
We absolutely loved our tour with Merrily, whose genuine passion for art shone through every step of the way. We explored an incredible selection of contemporary works across different mediums, starting with the Pace Gallery and Robert Longo’s stunning collection. The fact that someone can create such strikingly realistic images using only charcoal will never cease to amaze me.
We couldn’t recommend this experience enough — two hours was the perfect amount of time to get a taste of New York’s dynamic art world without feeling rushed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kerry_w
Oct 5, 2025
Best tour guide ever - Merrily picked an excellent set of galleries and gave us exactly the right amount of information about each of the artists whose work we viewed. She’s knowledgeable, articulate, friendly, and exactly the kind of guide you want to NYC galleries. We’ll definitely be booking more tours with her in the future.
Review provided by Viator
Susanob8428oa
Sep 27, 2025
Definitely Do This - Highly recommend. Merrily was an awesome guide. She chose interesting exhibits and great galleries. We got a lot out of our 2 hours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
R2636aeleslies
Sep 24, 2025
Gallery hopping with a knowledgeable friend - Merrily Kerr was a delightful guide. It was like going to the galleries with a friend who knew A LOT. I live in California and will seek her out again when I visit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lisatz8607hi
Jul 30, 2025
Excellent art tour - Brilliant tour, so interesting, Merrily very engaging, great company and of course very informative. A real highlight of our trip ! 5 stars, 10/10, heartily recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Terry
Jun 6, 2025
Would do again! - Merrily knows her stuff. People must love her tours because we were the only non repeat customers! She had it efficiently laid out with good variety of types of art and endeavored to keep us dry on a rainy day. She is knowledgeable and professional but open to ideas and questions.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Terryandjohn2014
May 24, 2025
Recommend without qualification - Merrily was awesome. Knowledgeable but approachable (not snobby). She must be great because 9 of the people in our group were repeat customers! It was a tough day due to the rain, but she kept us outside as little as possible. I would be shy about going in to these galleries without her. The variety of the art was excellent. I was partial to some and not to others, but that is normal.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karenrytraveler
May 22, 2025
Chelsea Galleries - Merrily was great. Very knowledgeable. She certainly knows the topic well on many levels. Enjoyed it immensely. Good choice of galleries and programs. A great variety.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
