It's no secret that the best part of any museum is the gift shop. And though much of the best physical museum store shopping is reserved for those who reside in big cities, some of the best-known institutions in the USA and beyond have made their exclusive products and merch available online.
Modern art museums from London to Los Angeles are teeming with amazing pieces, from steezy totes to decorative skate decks, collectible pins, and on-point interiors. Below, we've browsed some of the most prestigious contemporary art destinations in the world for the best of their product offering, for some decidedly more cultured cops than what you may be used to from Highsnobiety.
Scroll on to view our full selection.
Bags
You may have seen our recent round-up of fashionable totes for men, but these museum store renditions give even the biggest brands a run for their money. Recent finds include a beautiful recycled cotton canvas SFMOMA logo tote made in collaboration with Baggu, a bag that features a Pablo Picasso lithograph originally commissioned by LACMA's Graphic Arts council, and a large, yellow PVC tape tote designed by Simeon Farrar London Studio.
Caution and Attention Tote - Gusset
MCA
SFMOMA Grid Tote
SFMOMA
Yoshimoto Tote Bag
MoMA
Pablo Picasso Laughing Faun Tote
LACMA
Apparel
Museum merch may sound nerdy, but look hard enough and there's a treasure trove of super stylish sweaters you're sure to find a new favorite in. Don't believe us? The MoMA design store is home to an exclusive collaboration with streetwear staple Champion, while a venture over the East River (or a simple URL change) will lead you to a steezy Brooklyn museum collab with ALIFE.
Champion Hoodie - MoMA Edition
MoMA
Met Campus Sweatshirt
Met Museum
Hoody
ALIFE x Brooklyn Museum
Stuart Davis Hoodie
Whitney Museum Of American Art
Accessories
On the accessories front, a classic NY Yankees cap gets the MoMA treatment and can be yours for only $30 – a definite highlight from our museum store finds. Other accessories sure to add some artistic flair to your ‘fits include a pop-art inspired heavy-weight bracelet by Ann Dexter-Jones exclusive to the Whitney Museum of American Art shop, and a band-aid ring hand-formed by artist Michelle Lopez, made as a limited run of only 50.
NY Yankees Cap
MoMA
David Shrigley Silk Scarf
New Museum
PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE Laughing Rope Scarf
MoMA
Mini Band-Aid Ring Silver by Michelle Lopez
New Museum
Ann Dexter-Jones ID bracelet
Whitney Museum Of American Art
Skate Decks
The intersection between skate culture and modern art is one best explored at the online stores of the MoMA, Tate, and Guggenheim. Here, you'll find three-deck sets that feature artworks by Yayoi Kusama, iconic prints by NY graffiti legend Jean-Michel Basquiat, and even Ai Weiwei showing the finger to the White House.
Yayoi Kusama Infinity Nets Skateboard Triptych
MoMA
Yayoi Kusama Yellow Trees Skateboard Triptych
MoMA
Jean Michel Basquiat: Horn Players Triptych skateboard
TATE SHOP
Ai Weiwei Perspective Skateboard Set
GUGGENHEIM STORE
Pins
Added to your bags and jacket lapels, museum store pins are a low-key, low-cost way to show off your artistic side. A particularly dope addition for any collector (or graphic designer for that matter) is MCA's oversized Photoshop pin, while Edvard Munch's "The Scream" and William Copeley's protest against the war in Vietnam are equally amazing finds.
Photoshop Pin
MCA
Edvard Munch: The Scream Enamel Pin
MoMA
Yoko Ono and John Lennon: War is Over! Enamel Pin
MoMA
William Copley: Untitled from Protest against the War in Vietnam Enamel Pin
MoMA
Decor
For those looking to recreate museum vibes at home, you'll find everything from sketches and sculptures to coasters, candles, and even furniture online. The Frank Gehry designed Foundation Louis Vuitton is a particularly good destination for homewares, while interesting cops such as Ray Geary's pill explosion sculpture and a smiley-faced mirror from the Whitney will also make for talking points at your pad.
Pill Explosion Sculpture by Ray Geary
GUGGENHEIM STORE
The Night You Left Coasters
New Museum
Sketch by Frank Gehry
FOUNDATION LOUIS VUITTON
White Freesia-scented Candle with case
FOUNDATION LOUIS VUITTON
Yes Mirror
Whitney Museum Of American Art
Miscellaneous
Some of our more abstract finds from contemporary art museums include MCA Chicago's "STOP TALKING" cards – 25 white cards that give you the option to ask for silence, in silence. Other artistic oddities include powerbank flex care of Foundation Louis Vuitton, and a transparent umbrella done out in Yayoi Kusama's signature dots.
Powerbank
FOUNDATION LOUIS VUITTON
Bottle
FOUNDATION LOUIS VUITTON
Yayoi Kusama Love Forever Dots Umbrella
MoMA
Stop Talking Cards
MCA
To stay up to date with more Shopping content from Highsnobiety, follow @Highsnobietyshopping on Instagram and @Highsnobdrops on Twitter.
Our designated shopping section features products that we love and want to share with you. Highsnobiety has affiliate marketing partnerships, which means we may receive a commission from your purchase.
