The Best Art Dates in NYC This Month

Sweet summertime—'tis the season of love, hook-ups, and walks along the beach. Whether you're still playing the field or have a sweetheart locked down, trust us when we say that this list of Best Art Dates in NYC This Month will come in handy for those of you artsy couples in New York.

Sure, we've all heard about the "Rain Room" currently happening at the Museum of Modern Art, but you may be missing out on other gems like "Gravity and Grace" at the Brooklyn Museum and other opportunities for quick getaways to places like Dia: Beacon located outside of the city. Blow your date away and then, perhaps, your summer fling will turn into something that will last into the colder seasons.

RELATED: The Best Art Exhibitions of 2013 (So Far)
RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About James Turrell's Light Art Installations Through His Greatest Works

Location: Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Boulevard at Broadway Long Island City (Queens), NY 11106

Socrates Sculpture Park, located in Astoria (and one block away from the Noguchi Museum), is a good spot for a first summer date. Pack a basket filled with sandwiches and wine, grab a blanket, and spend a lazy day lounging under the sun while looking at sculptures and installations.

image via / More Info

Location: Essex Flowers, 365 Grand St New York, NY 10002

If large museums aren't your thing, consider taking a stroll through the Lower East Side. After browsing local cafes and shops, make your way towards Essex Flowers, an artist-run flower shop that now doubles as a space for up-and-coming artists. Opening just last week on June 28th, the shop houses the works of nine artists, all near age 30. Dudes, just remember to pick up a bouquet of flowers for your girl beforehand.

image via / More Info

Location: MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Avenue Long Island City, New York

With a building-wide show called "Dark Optimism," perhaps MoMA PS1's Expo 1 exhibition is a date for the mature couple, ready to engage in deep (and possibly even bleak conversations) on life and the fate of the world. The bulk of Expo 1 consists of dark photos, video, and installations with drowning women, ice cold rooms, cannibalistic hermit crabs, and more... You'll take relief in the fact that at least the two of you have each other. Also, with an installation that includes chunks from a glacier in Iceland, Expo 1 will let you escape the heat. Maybe head to graffiti mecca 5 Pointz to lighten up the mood.

image via / More Info

Location: Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, New York 11238-6052

Take the breath out of your significant other by taking him or her to see "Gravity and Grace," an exhibition by El Anatsui at the Brooklyn Museum. At first glance, Ghanaian artist El Anatsui's work may look like simple tapestries or mosaics, decked out in precious gems and metals. However, the sculptures draping from wall to wall, are actually made from crushed and linked bottle caps, lids of evaporated milk, and wood strips. These large, dazzling pieces serve as a commentary on post-colonial poverty in Africa.

image via / More Info

Location: Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, New York 11238-6052

While you're at the Brooklyn Museum, be sure to check out the major retrospective of the Bruce High Quality Foundation, an anonymous Brooklyn-based art group, who began their artistic endeavors in 2001. Consisting of photography, painting, sculpture, video art, as well as texts and documentation of older projects, this exhibition features "less than 17,000 works," as the press release hilariously reads. BHQF is known for re-appropriating famous works like Theodore Gericault's "The Raft of Medusa" with their own witty humor.

image via / More Info

Location: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10128

Kick off your summer romance by taking your date to the Guggenheim Museum to see James Turrell's first solo museum exhibition in New York since 1980. The exhibition, which opened last week on the summer solstice, features Aten Reign, a major, immersive project that utilized the museum's architecture to dramatically transform the space. The American artist re-conceived the rotunda of Frank Lloyd Wright's famous building, filling the dome's internal space with natural and artificial lighting which fades from cerulean to magenta. It's sure to set the mood!

image via / More Info

Location: Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street New York, NY 10019-5497

Instead of attempting to sit through an old black and white film you never wanted to see in the first place, go to the MoMA with your significant other instead. Until August 5, museum goers can relive New York in the '60s through Claes Oldenburg's most famous works. Wanting to detract from the notion of art as "something outside of experience" found only in museums, Oldenburg created sculptures of everyday objects, and even over-sized replicas of burgers, ice cream, fries, and more. Feast your eyes upon his blown up food, then set out for the nearest diner to satisfy your appetite!

image via / More Info

Location: Dia: Beacon, 3 Beekman St. Beacon, NY 12508

Sometimes, New York City can get to be a bit overwhelming. It's nice to get away every now and then, so plan a day trip with your boyfriend or girlfriend to Dia: Beacon. Located 80 miles outside of the city via train, this contemporary museum, a re-purposed Nabisco factory, is a pretty dope art space. With picnic tables and room to sit and relax, as well as a collection of works by the likes of Joseph Beuys, Cy Twombly, and Andy Warhol, Dia: Beacon makes for a perfect getaway.

image via / More Info

Location: Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street New York, NY 10019-5497

Who doesn't want to secretly experience making out in the rain like they do in the movies? But getting caught in a downpour just isn't as romantic as it sounds. However, if you wait in line long enough at MoMA, you and your sweetheart could share a kiss without getting drenched. "Rain Room," created by Random International, has sensors that detect human bodies, so it only rains around where you stand, not on you.

image via / More Info

Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave New York

By now, it seems like everyone's taken their significant others to the top of a skyscraper for a view of the city lights. This summer, take it to the next level by heading to the Met to gaze at more than just the skyline. This summer Pakistani artist Imran Qureshi's installation decorates the floor of the museum's rooftop. Mimicking the style of miniaturists who worked for the Mughal court centuries ago, Qureshi has splattered red paint on the Met's 8,000-square-foot terrace so that it resembles the site of a bloodbath. The work is strangely eerie and beautiful at the same time. Qureshi has manipulated the paint with white and red strokes, creating patterns like large blossoms, shrubbery, and bird feathers—motifs commonly found in Indian and Persian miniature paintings.

image via / More Info