We did two private tours with Lauren, introducing some visitors to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the MoMA. Both tours were completely phenomenal and we couldn't imagine a better introduction to either museum. Metropolitan Museum of Art Tour For the Met tour, Lauren met our group of 8, including four children aged 8-12 (the toughest customers) and she did a fantastic job of keeping everyone engaged, enlightened and amused. Not only did she help us skip the lines by having passes for everyone but she knew all the in's & out's of the museum helping to maximize our time there. Our tour covered: --Introduction to Egyptian Art starting with the tomb of Perneb, moving on to the mummies (always a hit with the kids) and ending with the wonderful Temple of Dendur. Lauren gave picture cards to both kids and adults that highlighted different Egyptian gods and we spent time finding that god on numerous sarcophagi and other different objects. It was quite fun & educational. --American History Paintings including the massive one of George Washington crossing the Delaware (the biggest painting in the museum) that features in every US History book. The kids had a fun time imitating our first president's pose. --Arms & Armor. Although not on the original plan, the boys demanded it and Lauren delivered, illustrating the differences between ceremonial, jousting and battle armor. --Roman & Greek sculpture. We spend the last bit of time sketching on pads that she provided, which is a great way to look at art because it really makes one concentrate and notice how much skill and insight goes into it. The 2.5 hours flew by and everyone concurred that Lauren's tour was the ideal way to see what can be overwhelming museum. Far better than just trying to check off the highlights list saying "I think that's famous?" MoMA Tour For the MoMA tour, our group was much smaller at only 4 people (3 adults and 1 child) which made for an intimate experience. Using Gauguin, Picasso, Seurat & Van Gogh as examples, Lauren highlighted how Modern art was a departure from what came before it, either as a reaction or response. Not only that, but Lauren had some great stories that humanized each of the artists and put them in context of how they were perceived during their day and how their reputations changed over time. She also told a fun story of how the MoMA acquired the 4 Season paintings by Kandinsky, saving 2 from the fate of Florida pawn shop (yikes!) We had a great time doing some more sketching and also wandering through some of the newer and more seemingly "out there" works. No questions went unanswered and Lauren did a great job tying everything together and placing things in context. _____ All in all, we can't recommend Lauren highly enough and you won't find a better, more educational and fun way to see the great art of New York City. read more

We love art and have found that a knowledgeable guide can greatly enhance a museum visit. Having made the decision to spend time at the Metropolitan Museum during a recent visit to New York, we wanted to make the best use of our limited time in this vast wonderful museum. I found Lauren on an internet search and began a series of email exchanges. It was immediately apparent that Lauren possessed the characteristics we wanted. She is professional in her prompt responses to email questions, listens to the interests and needs of clients, is flexible, and is truly prepared, passionate, and knowledgeable about art. We decided to focus on Egyptian and Islamic art. Lauren met us at the museum and guided us to objects that educated and delighted us. She is a natural teacher and carries an iPad in her purse. When appropriate, she quickly pulled up illustrations to enhance our understanding of the objects we were discussing. Lauren made us feel comfortable asking questions and engaging in dialogue about objects and related history. She was a delightful guide and orchestrated a museum visit we couldn't have had otherwise. While we were a couple, I have no doubt she would be a perfect guide for children and adults alike. The Metropolitan is awesome. Don't hesitate to have Lauren help you make your visit a terrific experience. read more

I've taken 2 courses, now, with Lauren and they've both been great. One was a series of 4 classes that focused on the recent Matisse exhibit at the MET. The other was a one-off of the Chagall exhibit at the Jewish Museum on the Upper East Side. Yes, Lauren is very knowledgeable about her subject and incredibly gracious in how she handles questions and people, but more than anything, she is prepared. She is constantly referencing other paintings by pulling them up on her iPad, or in ear marked art books she pulls out of her bag. For the Matisse class, she even brought art supplies. She had us in the Islamic wing at the MET, sketching the flourishes that so influenced Matisse's work. I'm an educator by training and I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to be in the presence of someone who has taken the time to devise an engaging experience for her students. She doesn't rely on her knowledge to pull her through. The woman puts in serious leg work for each class...My only hesitation in writing this review is that it will contribute to making Lauren's classes more popular and perhaps harder to get into in the future. read more

My husband and I joined one of Lauren's tours for the first time and we loved it! The tour was of the Lauder cubism show at the Met; the way she presented it was unique. She brought us through other galleries in the museum so that she could explain and teach us the history and influences toward cubism. Then, when we reached the actual show we understood how Picasso and other cubists arrived at that style. Lauren is wonderful in that she gives so much information and history in an interesting presentation and at the same time encourages the group's comments. She acknowledges other people's interpretations in a positive way, even if they are not her particular opinions. It was great to hear the comments of the others in the group. The time flew and we look forward to future tours. read more

I took at tour/class with Lauren Art Tours in December at the Metropolitan Museum. There was an exhibition of Balthus paintings and I did not know much about the artist. There were 6 adults in the 2 hour class. What I really liked about it was that Lauren started showing us paintings of renaissance artists in other galleries to demonstrate which artists and styles Balthus studied at the beginning of his career. It put things in perspective. Lauren's informal style encouraged all of us to discuss the works without judgment. She used her iPad to show other works by Balthus and photos of the artist and the models he painted. It was enjoyable and social, as well as educational experience. I will go to other classes in the future. read more

I took a class at the MoMA with Lauren and LOVED IT. I am an art beginner and Lauren's approachable teaching technique and ability to keep people of all art levels engaged is her strength. Each person from the course walked away learning a great deal, and she successfully crafted and molded the course to fit the class interests. What I like most about Lauren is her candidness and willingness to not take things too seriously which immediately puts you at ease in the best of museums. It is obvious she knows her stuff when it comes to art but can also laugh and shrug right along with her students. If you want to learn, look, and analyze art in NYC all while having a good time, Lauren is your go to person. read more

My boyfriend and I attended Lauren's tour of the James Turrell exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum. I'm an art historian, he's a total novice, but we both had such a great experience and got a lot out of the tour: a testament to Lauren's unique blend of expertise and ability to make art accessible and engaging. She was able to distill fascinating aspects from Turrell's rather arcane conceptual practice and weave them into an interesting story about his life. I really liked that we took a detour through the museum's collection to tie in Pissarro and Kandinsky -- not an obvious choice, but it made me appreciate these modern masters even more. We will definitely take another tour with Lauren! read more

My husband, son (a college freshman), and I took a guided tour with Lauren at the MET on 10-18-13. We spent 2 hours with her and enjoyed every minute. Lauren is extremely knowledgeable and had an agenda put together to help us maximize our time there. She was articulate, genuine, friendly, and fun to be with. She was especially engaging with our son who is currently taking an Art History course in college and had an upcoming test. Given that the MET is so huge and diverse, it was most beneficial to have her help us learn as much as we could in our time there. We would definitely recommend her and hope to visit again soon! read more

My mother and I spent an afternoon viewing the European galleries at the MET with Lauren. Her style of delivery is dynamic and impeccable; she balances insightful comments on the actual works with biographical nuggets about the artists and thoughtful questions that allow room for personal interpretation. I was especially impressed by her masterful weave of themes over the centuries that made the range of work more digestible (and set a perfect pace for moving through the museum). I highly recommend Lauren for anyone interested in the art world and look forward to attending one of her future tours! read more

Lauren's tours are fantastic. I have now taken three tours with Lauren: one at the Met -- where she led a group of 10 through the permanent collection-- galleries in Chelsea, and the Whitney. Lauren not only knows her stuff cold (I've never seen her need to look up anything someone has asked!), but she is engaging and makes everyone feel comfortable sharing their perspectives on the art. Lauren asks thought provoking questions and keeps the dialogue within each group flowing and fun. She brings meaning to each work of art you look at. I cannot recommend her enough! read more

I recently came to New York for an 'art' long weekend with a group of 6 women who are docents at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. Lauren took us first to the Guggenheim Museum to view the Agnes Martin exhibition and the following day to several Chelsea Galleries. Not only was Lauren knowlegeable, well prepared, articulate, and personable, she was extremely thoughtful in linking the museum visit to the Chelsea gallery experience thematically, visually and intellectually. Excellent tours, extremely worthwhile! Arlene K. read more

I've taken Museum-run docent tours but never before a 3-hour individualized tour and now I am spoiled for life! Lauren took 5 of us on a tour of MOMA's Picasso sculpture exhibit - but covered to much more. By first giving us a background on the development of modern art through several examples of each "ism," we were better able to appreciate Picasso's work - and appreciate it we did! If you can take a class or group tour or private tour with Lauren, you are in for a memorable treat! read more

Our family group of eight (my wife and I, our two kids ages 10&12, and three grandparents) recently visited Manhattan over the Christmas holidays. I found Lauren on Yelp only a few days beforehand. Lauren kindly rearranged her schedule to be able to give us a two-hour tour of the Met on a Sunday morning. Her tour was terrific - both informative and engaging - and the two hours flew by quickly. We would definitely do it again the next time we visit. Thanks Lauren! read more

We did a two hour tour of the Metropolitan and a one tour of the Guggenheim with Lauren. She was really well prepared and knowledgeable. We had a couple of requests to see certain objects and she was very accommodating. Lauren is a wonderful tour guide and made the tour interesting and fun for all of us. There were 6 in our group with different interest levels in art. I would recommend her highly for all ages. She was very fun to spend the day with! read more

This was a great experience, and a really engaging and informative way to view an exhibition. Lauren is really knowledgeable about the work, and gave us an appreciation of the art that we likely wouldn't have found on our own. She also did a great job of interacting with the members of our group which sparked a bunch of great thoughts and conversation around the work we were viewing. Highly recommended. read more

Lauren makes art accessible and deepened my knowledge and appreciation for art and art history. She's extremely well-prepared and thoughtful about how she puts together her classes. They are engaging and enjoyable. Not too heavy, not too light. She adapts well to the needs of the group, so you get a tailored experience. Always articulate, her working knowledge of the subject matter is impressive. read more

To date, my husband and I have taken two different series of Lauren's art tours. The time was so well-spent that we look forward to doing more of them. I highly recommend Lauren as a teacher who knows how to keep participants engaged. Also, she is very conscientious about providing additional readings if people are interested in delving deeper into the subject matter. She's a pro. read more

I really enjoyed my chelsea tour with Lauren. Lauren chose interesting shows and was really knowledgeable about the artists processes/ works. The group is run well, and Lauren is good about asking interesting question and getting conversations going. I highly recommend her tours as you are sure to share your passion for art while learning and appreciating what you are seeing. read more

We have booked Lauren twice -- and will book her a third time when we are next in New York. She is highly qualified -- and well versed in art with some good stories. She actually PLANS the tour in advance and takes the visitor step by step based on a theme. Frankly, wandering through a museum without knowledge (like me) is really not a good idea. Book Lauren! read more