Institute of Contemporary Art

Institute of Contemporary Art review

Once crammed into a tiny building in Back Bay, the ICA moved to its spacious new home in late 2006, and is now the cultural cornerstone of the waterfront. With its 65,000sq ft floor space, the dramatic, glass-walled building houses galleries, a theatre and a café.

The museum prides itself on being a platform for challenging works - the permanent collection includes pieces by the likes of Julian Opie, Paul Chan and Mona Hatoum, while changing shows explore broader themes that unite different artists' work, or focus on individual luminaries (Louise Bourgeois, Philip-Lorca diCorcia and the like).

After you've contemplated the art, retreat to the deck outside, with its expansive vista over the harbour. The building has such unusual features as a downward-sloping Mediatheque that culminates in a front window framing a patch of water.