The private guided tour at the Noguchi Museum

Why it is on the list

Noguchi opened the museum in 1985 to show his life's work as he meant it to be seen: a 1920s red brick industrial building in Long Island City, with a concrete pavilion he designed and built with Shoji Sadao, about 27,000 square feet of galleries over two floors and a sculpture garden.¹ It was the first museum in America founded by a living artist for his own work.¹ The stone galleries on the first floor, at street level, still follow the installation Noguchi made in the 1980s, set out in reverse chronological order, and he chose every planting in the garden himself.¹ A private tour takes the collection and the current exhibition with one of the museum's educators, in English, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese or Spanish.²

Until 1 November 2026 the second-floor galleries are closed while No Ordinary Light: Akari at 75 is installed, so a tour in that window sees the first floor and the garden only.³ For a tour of an exhibition with the museum's Director or Curator rather than an educator, the route is the Noguchi Council (below). For an artist's own rooms in Manhattan, the Judd Foundation's guided visit to 101 Spring Street takes you through Donald Judd's permanently installed home and studio in SoHo, in about 75 minutes.⁴

How to get it

Write to education@noguchi.org or call +1 718 204 7088, extension 203, the museum's tours line, and ask for a private guided tour; give the number of guests, the date and time you want, and why you are coming.²⁵ Extension 240 and tickets@noguchi.org are for group admission without a guide, not for tours.² The tour fee is quoted on enquiry.² A group takes up to 15; from 16 to 30 the museum sends two educators, scheduled on availability.² Admission is USD 16 a person, USD 6 for seniors and students, and half price until 1 November 2026; any group of more than nine books ahead.³ The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm, with last entry at 5:30 pm, and closed Monday and Tuesday.³

Curator-led tours, private events and custom workshops are for Noguchi Council and corporate members.² Council membership starts at USD 1,000 a year (Patron); from the Associate level, USD 2,500, a member can arrange a private tour of an exhibition with the Director or Curator for up to fifteen guests.⁶ For a company, Corporate Sponsor membership, USD 10,000 a year, brings a private tour for up to 25 guests while the museum is closed to the public; from Corporate Sustainer, USD 25,000, the company may host a private event at the museum for up to 75, with the event's costs paid by the host.⁷ Melissa Gatz handles Council and corporate requests at mgatz@noguchi.org or +1 718 204 7088, extension 229.²⁶⁷

Discretion

The tour is your group alone with its educator. The museum is open to every ticket holder from 11 am to 6 pm, Wednesday to Sunday, and runs its own public tour at 2 pm.³² The only published way to have the galleries to yourselves is through Corporate Membership: from USD 10,000 a year, a private tour for up to 25 while the museum is closed, and from USD 25,000 a private event for up to 75.⁷ Whether an educator's tour can run outside public hours without membership is not published: ask education@noguchi.org when you write. A private tour of an exhibition with the Director or Curator, for up to fifteen, comes with Council membership at the Associate level.⁶ Visitors may not photograph staff or other visitors without their consent.³