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Support museums by purchasing gifts that give back, as proceeds go toward supporting the affiliated institutions.

Modigliani head sculpture, Guggenheim Museum, stunning masterpiece brooch designed by Josef Hoffmann in 1908, Neue Galerie, Mondrian inspired vase, MoMA Museum.

Have a book lover on your Christmas list? Museum gift shops are a treasure trove of educational and hard-to-find books. The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, an introduction to modern indigenous Native American cuisine of the Dakota and Minnesota territories. Inspiring cookbook available through the Smithsonian Museum.

Amber and sterling silver jewelry fashioned into a magnificent falcon pendant necklace. The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian George Gustav Heye Center, New York.

Is little Danny constantly asking to be an astronaut and visit the moon? Now you can send him into space, (or at least look the part) with this adorable NASA astronaut suit with matching cap. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center. The Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum complex boasting 23 museums. The majority are located in Washington, DC, with two museums in New York.

Life size blue whale, one of the mascots of the American Museum of Natural History. A 94 foot long model, weighing 21,000 pounds. As a kid growing up in New York, our yearly school trips would be a visit to one of the plethora of awe inspiring museums. Imagine at 10 years old, walking into the Hall of Ocean Life with a gigantic blue whale towering over your head. You are immediately enamored with all sea creatures and the remarkable diversity of life found in the oceans of the world. Museum experiences like this stay with you for the rest of your life.

Hand crafted glass blue whale ornament. American Museum of Natural History.

A bibliophile’s paradise. American Museum of Natural History, New York. Visit the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals while visiting the museum. It will take your breath away.

Andy Warhol calendar, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

Waterproof paper vase, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

Pink peace sign candle, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

Luminous opal and pavé diamond pendant necklace, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

If notecards could be decadent, then these are practically immoral in their beauty. For those of us who still delight in putting pen to paper, the Christian Lacroix Birds Sinfonia Shaped Notecard Set. LACMA.

The LACMA has a breathtaking assortment of art supplies, stationery and journals for the writer on your holiday list. This glorious blank journal features a detail of a Barkcloth (Masi bola bola) textile from Fiji. The Barkcloth was featured in the LACMA exhibition: Fiji: Art & Life in the Pacific.

Punkouture, the definitive guide to all manner of punk fashion. For fans of the 70’s, 80’s and Gen X, this book rocks. LACMA.

For lots of chow fun! Rainbow chopsticks. LACMA.

Upcycled Whitney Banner Pouch. One-of-a-kind zip pouches, crafted from authentic Whitney Museum exhibition street banners. A sustainable gift from the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

For the musician on your gift list, a roll up piano with flexible keyboard. Museum of Modern Art, New York, (MoMA.)

A cool gift for budding photographers, the Keith Haring Edition Polaroid Now Camera & Film, MoMA.

Mid century modern home décor. A true classic, the Nelson Wall Clock, originally designed in 1948. MoMA.

Now audiophiles can listen to their vinyl LP records wirelessly with the Bluetooth turntable. MoMA.

Unicorn pillow cover, celebrating the exquisite unicorn tapestries, one of the most popular attractions at The Cloisters Museum and Gardens, the medieval branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The set of seven exquisite tapestries was most likely completed in Brussels around 1500 and is considered the most accomplished and beautiful tapestries in the world. In 1922, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. bought the tapestries for just over a million dollars, and in 1937 he gifted them to the Cloisters. Read the story of the unicorn tapestries here.

Erté Deco Nile Bangle, The Met.

William Morris mixed patterns scarf, 100% Silk crêpe de chine, The Met.

Midnight Garden Fruit and Flowers Salad Plate Set, original painting by Orsola Maddalena Caccia in 1639. The Met.

Full scale reproduction of Adele Bloch-Bauer portrait by Gustav Klimt. Ronald S. Lauder Neue Galerie, New York.

Magnificent frosted crystal with hand-painted black bronzite décor, designed by Josef Hoffman in 1912. The Neue Galerie is a tiny jewel of a museum that celebrates German and Austrian art. Josef Hoffman was among the founders of the Vienna Secession and co-establisher of the Wiener Werkstätte. 

Charming sun hat crowned with a 1910 Josef Hoffmann textile design. Neue Galerie.

Josef Hoffmann sterling silver and malachite brooch, designed in 1912. Neue Galerie. When you visit this extraordinary museum, be sure to check out their Viennese café.

Happy holidays!