…Some of New York’s greatest art and architecture call Lincoln Center their home.

By Nancy Mandell

Here it is, just the beginning of summer according to the calendar—if not the temperature—and you’ve already hit the highlights of the city’s art scene. You’ve seen Picasso prints (through Aug.30) and Pictures by Women (photography on view through next March) at the Museum of Modern Art; and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Picassos from the museum’s collection (through Aug. 10) as well as the beautifully presented costumes illustrating “The American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity” (through Aug. 15). And there’s still plenty of time to check out the Big Bambu on the Met roof, a mind-boggling living sculpture by Doug and Mike Starn, before it closes on Oct. 31. You may also have covered the Whitney, the Guggenheim, the Jewish Museum and perhaps made it all the way down to the Bowery for the impressive New Museum.

But there is one major collection in the city that you probably have not yet explored, since formal access to its treasures was introduced only recently: the guided “Art and Architecture Tour” of Lincoln Center. We’ve all marveled at the gorgeous Chagall frescoes visible even from outside the Metropolitan Opera, but are you aware of Lincoln Center’s other extraordinary artworks by legends like Alexander Calder, Henry Moore, Jacques Lipschitz, Elie Nadelman and Lee Bontecour? And what of the buildings, theaters and public spaces designed by luminaries such as Philip Johnson and Eero Saarinen in the 1960s and 1970s?

Conceived in tandem with Lincoln Center’s ambitious redevelopment project—something of an obstacle course to theater-goers and even worse for those accustomed to subway access—tours leave from the lobby of Avery Fisher Hall daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Frequency is determined on a weekly basis, however, so advance reservations are required by calling (212)875-5350.

Tour guides, we’re assured, will display “encyclopedic” and anecdotal knowledge of the Center’s past, present and future while they lead visitors through at least three of the theatres on the 16-acre campus. In addition to commissioned pieces by Jasper Johns, David Smith, and Louise Nevelson—many inspired by the performing arts—a sneak peek at a rehearsal is included when possible.

Senior tickets for the tours are $12. There will be no tours July 4th and 5th.

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