Museum of Sex: erotic museum in New York

What is the Museum of Sex in New York?

• The Museum of Sex is a New York museum dedicated to the history and evolution of human sexuality. Located on Fifth Avenue in New York, it sits just steps from Madison Square Park, between the Flatiron Building and the Empire State Building. You couldn’t ask for a more central location in Manhattan.
• The museum was founded in October 2002 by Daniel Gluck, a former computer programmer. At the time, no other museum of eroticism existed anywhere in the world. How did he come up with the idea? Gluck was having a drink in a bar on the Lower East Side with friends, one of whom had just sold his magazine. When Gluck wondered what his friend would do with the money, he suggested: “You should open a UFO museum.” The friend’s partner, recently back from Amsterdam, countered: “Open a sex museum instead.” The idea took hold, and Daniel Gluck ran with it.
• The museum prefers to go by its nickname: MoSex. A playful nod to MoMA, the famous Museum of Modern Art in New York.

What to See at the Museum of Sex

• Despite what you might assume, New York’s Museum of Sex has nothing to do with adult entertainment venues or pornography. In fact, its founder has consistently refused sponsorship offers from the adult industry. This is a genuine museum with educational and anthropological merit. The museum maintains close ties with American academic institutions and has received extensive coverage in outlets like the New York Times and Time Magazine.
• The Museum of Sex’s permanent collection contains more than 20,000 objects: artworks, photographs, clothing, and erotic lingerie. As the museum notes, “Without the Museum of Sex, these sexually explicit objects would be destroyed and discarded because of their sexual content.”
• The museum regularly rotates thematic exhibitions throughout the year. Recent shows have traced the evolution of adult films from 1960 to today, and featured an immersive room where visitors could nestle inside a giant breast. Since 2002, the museum has hosted more than 50 different exhibitions.

Visiting the Museum of Sex

• Address: 233 Fifth Avenue, New York. The museum sits at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 27th Street.
• Subway: 28 St (N, R, Q, and W lines).
• Hours: Open daily except Wednesday, 1 pm to 10 pm. On weekends, it opens at noon. Friday and Saturday hours extend to midnight; Sunday closes at 9 pm.
• Admission: Starting at $29. Prices vary by time of day. From mid-afternoon onward, admission is $36 on weekdays and $44 on weekends.
• Tip: Museum of Sex admission is included with the New York Pass, so you can visit without paying separate admission. It’s also included in the New York Explorer Pass, where one visit is deducted from your total activities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Map to the Museum of Sex in New York