You’re probably feeling malled out by now, and maybe a tad resentful — all that holiday shopping’s left you with very little free time. We can fix that. Why not track down the perfect gift — distinctive, clever and (in most cases) under $100 — while enjoying one of the best museum seasons in years?
Here are the exhibits to see, along with some of the merchandise that goes with them. Or give someone a world of art for the price of a museum membership: $85 buys a year of visits to the Museum of Modern Art (single admission: $25 a pop) and many members-only pluses, minus the waiting in line. It’s even tax-deductible — and oh-so-easy to wrap.
New York Historical Society
170 Central Park West, at 77th Street; 212-873-3400
Browse it: “Armory Show at 100,” through Feb. 23
Buy it: These women’s suffrage pillows, inspired by photos and ephemera from the 1913 art show that shook the world (and put NYC on the map as an art capital), are printed on cotton sateen, hand-stuffed and sewn onto black cotton-twill fabric. Handmade in Brooklyn by Ronda J. Smith exclusively for the museum’s store, they’re $48 to $74.
The Frick Collection
1 E. 70th St., at Fifth Avenue; 212-288-0700
Browse it: “Vermeer, Rembrandt and Hals,” through Jan. 19
Buy it: Call ahead for timed tickets to see everyone’s favorite — “Girl With a Pearl Earring,” who has pride of place in the museum’s gallery. Then hit the gift shop for Vermeer’s masterpiece rendered as a pearl earring brooch/pendant (left): Made of brass and mother-of-pearl, it can double as both ($32). Or go for the earrings: These “pearls” are really glass with gold-filled posts ($49.95).
The Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn; 718-638-5000
Browse it: “The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk,” through Feb. 23
Buy it: We’d hoped to get a replica of one of JPG’s missile bras — the one Madonna launched into infamy — but alas, they’re not selling lingerie here. Do check out the boldly striped umbrellas ($88 stick, $75 folding) and this blue-eyed teddy (left), complete with the designer’s signature nose piercing, striped T-shirt and Scottish kilt ($150). One of Gaultier’s inspirations — designer Coco Chanel — is rendered here, pearls and all, in a handstuffed doll (above right, $45) made by Chen Reichart in upstate New York.
The Morgan Museum and Library
225 Madison Ave., at 36th Street; 212-685-0008
Browse it: “Edgar Allan Poe: Terror of the Soul,” through Jan. 26
Buy it: You can choose from an entire wall of Poephernalia — books, cards, dolls and fridge magnets, many of which, delightful as they are, can probably be found elsewhere. But those raven stoneware plates ($60) and platters ($75) are one of a kind, handmade in Brooklyn just for this show by artist May Luk.
New York Public Library
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street; 917-275-6975
Browse it: “The ABC of It: Why Children’s Books Matter,” through March 23
Buy it: There’s a wealth of wonderful books for sale in the first-floor shop — for kids and adults alike. Now all you need is a way to haul them all home. Enter the library tote ($19.95): Imprinted with Patience and Fortitude, the library’s lion mascots, it’s made of ripstop nylon and folds down to wallet size. Schlepping home from shopping just got a whole lot easier!
El Museo del Barrio
1230 Fifth Ave., at 104th Street, 212-831-7272
Browse it: “La Bienal 2013,” works by 37 Latino, Caribbean and Latin American artists, through Feb. 15
Buy it: You can practically taste the Sangria when you behold this hand-blown glassware by Mexican artisans Javier Gutiérrez and Efrén Canteras Javier. The pitcher ($19.99) and matching tumblers, juice, beer and wine glasses ($5 each) come in blue or green, and are lead-free, dishwasher safe and one of a kind.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Ave., at 82nd Street, 212-535-7710
Browse it: “The Woven World: The Worldwide Textile Trade, 1500-1800,” through Jan. 5
Buy it: We’ve seen some of the museum’s tapestries for sale elsewhere (including an airport in France), but this beautiful, bird-patterned apron ($29.95) — made in India and woven from the softest cotton — is a rare find, and poetry in flight.