Society of Illustrators (SOI) Review

Awesome place to see original art and meet and share with great illustrators! Loved it!

Definitely worth a stop especially if the exhibits they have interest you. That being said the building is not very handicap accessible and has a lot of really steep stairs.
I saw the Spider-Man exhibit and it was incredible. The ink pages of Capt Stacys death were on display. There was one of John Romita's pencils which was cool. Most importantly, a truly massive collection of ink pages by Romita, Ditko, and Romita Jr. with large portions written by Stan Lee.
Great and interesting stop.

what an amazing experience!!! there was a special exhibition on my favourite hero - Batman. Plus, got to know a member of the Society, Erik, who spent some time to have a chat about the Society and New York! it's experiences like these that make it worth visiting and traveling to new places!

A great place to view illustrators. A niche museum/gallery with a lovely restaurant.

cozy club/townhouse that mixes gallery and event space with a cool restaurant and bar area. worth popping in if you are around. a hidden gem.

Admission is too expensive....and their free night is on a Tuesday. ....not a good night if you work outside of NYC.

Lots of amazing illustrations from famous artists in a charming historical space. And the catering was delicious!

Interesting place if that's your thing... It just isn't mine.

This organization showcases the art of illustration for all media-books, magazined etc. They had(prior to the pandemic )an exhibit on illustration of Batman. Once a week there was free admission.

Its a great place to go to and another reason I am looking forward to the end of this pandemic, so I can go to offbeat places like this one

In a big town like NYC it s nice to have a friendly cosy place in the center of town to retreat to. I ve been a member for many years and love knowing I have a home away from home. They always have interesting shows in their galleries. Everyone is very friendly. If you are in the arts I recommend you joining the club.

An excellent stop - probably qualifies as an NYC gem! The exhibition when we were there (summer 2016) was of work by female illustrators, with lots of quality work on exhibit. Definitely will go again when next in NYC.

The Batman gallery was lit , also blessed to see a JC Leyendecker in person . I would come here again and again . Wish I stayed for the sketch nights but I dont live near

Absolutely magical place! The hanging art is always spectacular and changes dynamically each season. Their live model events are great as well, hosting with live music, models, and a bar that serves everything you need. Can't beat it!

An important institution in the NYC creative scene. Amazing works and resources are found here. These pics are from a Mike Mignola show.

A hidden gem among museums in New York. They refresh the exhibits frequently and I'm never disappointed. I've seen a fascinating range there from an amazing retrospective on Spiderman and Ditko to an exploration of fantasy & sci-fi novel covers from the 60's and 70's. It's just around the corner from a subway stop (I forget which one) making it so easy to pop in and out of.

A little gem of a place. Has some really great illustrations on display and a sweet little shop with some interesting and unusual items. Lots of the illustrations by less well known artists and designers are well worth seeing. We really enjoyed seeing all the artworks. Only gave 4 stars because it smelled kind of musty and not that well cared for also, we were forced to put our 2 very small and unobtrusive rucksacks in their cloakroom (small unlocked cupboard adjacent to the reception) despite being the only 4 visitors and it made me feel uncomfortable as I had no pockets to keep my valuable items with me. Everywhere else has insisted we carry them by the top carry handle.

Many interesting illustrations. They also have a dinning room.

I love that place ! So many amazing artwork from the great masters

I love coming here for sketch nights and a drink. Everyone is always so supportive in artistic growth and so friendly. The exhibits are top notch as well

I've visited the Society of Illustrators dozens of times, and the place never gets old thanks to well-curated exhibits and the incredibly fun Sketch Night sessions. Downstairs has a small screening room, while the main floor has a gift shop. One downside? The top level is inaccessible to people in wheelchairs. Still, you'll find all manner of drawn art, such as comic books and fantasy illustrations.m

Awesome classic marvel showing downstairs and great classic EC gallery upstairs. Was super lucky to see the classics by kirby, romita sr&jr, don martin...while sipping t&t's and listening to jgb. This place is a gem hidden in plain sight.

One of the best comic and illustrators museum I have ever been to. The curator/manager of the museum was an extremely kind, friendly and patient gentleman, and showed excellent customer service as well. I definitely recommend everyone to check this museum out at least once.

P.S. They have a great rooftop bar atop the museum, which has some interesting drink choices!

A really nice little spot to check out some fantastic illustrations and storyboards.

Went for a class trip, and really enjoyed learning about this type of art style.

Would recommend for a visit to anyone interested in illustration.

A nice place to discover especially if your into art. I would most definitely visit there again.

Came here to check out an exhibit and really enjoyed it. Have been waiting for another exhibit that catches my eye to have an excuse to come back. Not like other museums or galleries that are slammed with obnoxious people. Very well maintained and quiet. There's a nice bar on the 3rd floor where you can order cocktails and go outside during warmer months to sit outside and order a meal. Only thing I suggest is finding out when there are classes, to avoid walking into them while trying to look at art that may be hanging on that floor where the classes are held.

A fantastic place to visit and the locus of advocacy for illustration.

Wonderful exhibits with friendly staff. Be sure to go upstairs to see the Norman Rockwell behind the bar!

Visited this place after a friend told me to check it out. If you have any interest in illustration, drawing and the history of either, go check this out. I will be back.

Amazing place! A must-see for any fan of comics and other illustrative work.

They always have interesting shows that showcase different artists, and they even have copies of the books people have illustrated on hand when they do shows featuring different book illustrators! It's a nice cozy little place with two floors worth of exhibition space, and a restaurant on the top floor.

I love this place because it regularly has exhibits of comic art!

Small but in a cozy, familiar way. Definietly will be visiting more often!

One of the most beautiful places in NYC. Great staff, artists and models.

I was there for Mike Mignola exposition and it was awesome

Very friendly staff. Great exhibit. Got to hear Walt Simonson and Bill Sienkiewicz plus dinner and autographs in a super casual environment. Excellent experience!

The small museum has a decent collection of illustrations in various techniques and styles. We enjoyed Anatol Kovarsky's well-recognized and mostly monochromatic illustrations for The New Yorker magazine, the main exhibition during our visit. We stayed for an hour.

In addition to the museum, they also host sketching sessions, talks, and other related events.

The place is just steps away from a subway station (F and Q lines). Admission to the museum is free every Tuesday evening.

Super interesting place. Attended a dinner celebration after hours, amazing illustrations in every wall and hallway.

Went on a sketch night, burlesque fantasy. A bit dissappointed in the arrangement of the models, especially the costumes. More fantasy than burlesque, and not very original..

We enjoy our visit there. If u love batman u gotta check it out!!

Beautiful gallery of illustrations from picture books, comics, and more. The curators have excellent taste and the works on display are always beautiful, imaginative, inspiring and brilliant. If you love drawing, children's literature, or emotional art with a sense of wonder, don't miss this place!

Very classy spot with galleries and sketch nights! Love it!

A small museum, but in a good way. I loved it. I think the admission fee is a bit too high.

Went in today and had my first sketch night experience with the SOI. I found the environment very conducive to creating, with a knowledgable staff and professional models. The music played was great, and so was the food. I wish there was more room for each artist to spread out, but understand that it's a very intimate space and I would never want to exclude anyone. Over all had a very positive experience sketching tonight and I would come again.

A stop at this small, well-curated museum is a pleasant and thought-provoking way to pass an hour or two. I was there recently on a Saturday afternoon, and was one of only a few people visiting--unheard of at the mostly crowded museums in the city.

Fascinating place to enjoy art, a beverage, and the atmosphere.

Love the Beers for Fears event. Always a good time with great hosts

Do not miss! Wonderful collection- very thought provoking. Beautiful work. Great event space.

A nice option to spend an hour or two in the exhibitions with nice restaurant on the top floor andactivities for the younger ones (and the older ones as well)

Such an amazing hidden gem! All the staff are super nice & helpful. The artwork on display speaks for itself. We went during exhibitions: New York's Funniest Ladies & Marvel - a perfect balance for my husband and I. Absolutely loved it all, so interesting and such a different way to spend a Saturday. To finish it all off, there's a stunning bar/restaurant on the 3rd floor, complete with a beautiful, inviting and picturesque outdoor terrace, just perfect for drinking a glass of wine in the summer. Will definitely be returning as they do loads of boozy, creative night events too! Loved it all!

George Booth s exhibit is awesome Semper Fi Brother.

Really awesome. The hell boy exibit is one of my favorites.

Small and quaint. The bar and outdoor terrace on the third floor was a great surprise.

The museum advertises FREE entry on Tuesdays 5-8pm, while it actually is not available for visiting as every Tuesday they have events on the first and third floors - so no access there. Second floor is a tiny corridor leading to toilets, so not much to see.
This is very misleading - we wouldn't bother going knowing this, so wasted trip.
This is not a comment on the quality of the museum, which by the way is very small, but on the misleading information on the website.

Interesting exhibitions and a wonderful restaurant with outdoor space

A beautiful space with great art and a nice bar. An awesome hangout spot. Definitely recommend popping by for a movie night.

This is a tiny multi-level museum dedicated to the art of illustration. They run themed exhibits, sketch nights, contests and a number of other fun events. I visited recently for the Ralph Steadman retrospective, which was amazing. The exhibit was spread out on all 4 levels, which was a little difficult to navigate when foot traffic was high, but definitely worth it. The top level includes a great, sunny cafe, though they included some pieces of the exhibit there so diners had to deal with a lot of lookie-loos passing through. It's a hidden gem in the heart of the city and a unique thing to do for locals and visitors alike!

Wonderful to have an establishment to celebrate illustrators and the medium. The Joe Quesada exhibit was an intimate and nicely varied collection of comic book art at its finest. Bravo!

Event on 3rd floor. Not ADA accessible. People should be warned.

Love the visit! Excited to see all the work inside. Friendly staff!

I visited during a Joe Quesada Exhibit..
Woo hoo!!

I came 15 minutes before closing time but they still didnt let me at least quickly go through 1 floor and i was willing to still pay full price. I was traveling from out of state so its a shame that i couldnt see this museum.

the free gallery is awesome, and the upstairs very classy.

Worth the trip...the exhibitions are always wonderful!!!

Amazing place with great content! Highly recommend.

Ramone is the best part of going to this place, and that's saying something because the place itself is wonderful.

Very quaint. Courteous staff. Easy to access by public. Food and drink plentiful as well as Very Good.

This place is so cool. I went their for a Comicbook artist friend of mine's birthday. The stuff on the walls is amazing.

What a special place! If you believe in the power of illustration, this should be a Must See

Small space with great illustration exhibits - very inspiring! Sketch nights are the best, and there are always fantastic events happening. The bartender, Ramone, is really helpful and friendly as well.

Great art work, cute bar and a casual, tasty spread of food on opening night's

Ooh boy ... Unfortunately, very disappointed with this museum. Can not understand the high ratings by other reviewers. I love the rich history of graphic illustrations used in the 19th and 20th centuries from product packaging and magazines, to comics, anime and movies. However, this museum does not even brush the surface of this wonderful art form. There are a (very) few enjoyable works along the stairwell, but otherwise, there are just a couple of limited collections of mostly comic strips illustrations.

I hope that a sponsor could assist the Society to fund and create a true museum dedicated to the rich history of illustrators and graphic artists. The museum world absolutely needs this. Sadly, the current woefully inadequate collection only emphasizes what is sadly missing, but could be. I hope more critical reviews will spark the need and action.

On a positive note, the building itself and the bistro/bar have a nice character and atmosphere. I have no affiliation with or ill will towards the Society of Illustrators, only the hope that they can find a way to truly highlight and preserve this wonder genre of art.

Very interesting place. Check out sketch night on Tuesdays and Thursdays!