Amid Challenges, Small New York City Museums Are Closing Their Doors

Small museums that have helped define the unique character of New York City’s artistic scene are moving, changing or calling it quits, citing a challenging economic climate.

Last week, the Center for Italian Modern Art ceased operations after more than a decade in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood and said it was looking for a university to take its archive.

In May, news came that Fotografiska New York, an outpost for the global photography museum in Gramercy Park, was looking for a new home, even as it laid off employees with a closure notice that cited economic reasons.

And in January the Rubin Museum of Art announced that it was selling its Chelsea building and cutting 40 percent of its staff as it transforms to focus on traveling exhibitions and long-term loans to other institutions, “redefining what a museum can be.”

Laura Mattioli, founder of the Center for Italian Modern Art, said that recent financial challenges had led to the decision to close.