Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, nonprofit performing arts complex located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is dedicated to the arts of music, dance, and drama and is the home of 11 performing-arts companies and educational institutions. Lincoln Center's campus is comprised of seven buildings as well as outdoor spaces. Organizations located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts are as follows.

Lincoln Center, Inc. was incorporated in 1956 and organized under the direction of the American philanthropist John D. Rockefeller III to provide new headquarters for the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic. A private institution, it is funded primarily by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations, with some funds from the city, state, and federal governments. It also operates the Lincoln Center Institute, which promotes the teaching of aesthetic education to both teachers and students. Lincoln Center presents programs such as “Mostly Mozart” and “Jazz at Lincoln Center,” and produces “Live from Lincoln Center,” which features its own performances as well as those of the other organizations located on campus.

The Metropolitan Opera, founded in 1883, is credited with inspiring the growth of opera companies throughout the United States. It is located in the Metropolitan Opera House, which was designed by American architect Wallace K. Harrison and completed in 1966. It contains two works by the French painter Marc Chagall: The Sources of Music (1966) and The Triumph of Music (1966).

The New York Philharmonic, founded in 1842, is the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States. It is located in Avery Fisher Hall, which was designed by Romanian-American architect Max Abramovitz and completed in 1962. Orpheus and Apollo, a sculpture by American artist Richard Lippold, is also housed there.

The Juilliard School, a school for professional training in the performing arts, is located in the Juilliard School Building. The building was designed by Italian American architect Pietro Belluschi and was completed in 1969. It houses several famous works of art, including Nightsphere Light (1969) by American sculptor Louise Nevelson and an untitled sculpture (1969) by Japanese American sculptor Masayuki Nagare. The building also contains Alice Tully Hall, the home of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, which was founded in 1969 and is credited with helping to popularize chamber music in the United States.

The Lincoln Center Theater, reestablished in 1985, is the only Lincoln Center constituent dedicated to the theater. It is housed in the Vivian Beaumont Theater, which was completed in 1965. In front of the building is the sculpture Reclining Figure (1962-1963) by British sculptor Henry Moore.

The New York State Theater houses both the New York City Opera, begun in 1944 to provide more affordable opera performances, and the New York City Ballet, one of the foremost ballet companies in the world. The building was designed by American architect Philip C. Johnson. It houses several works of art selected by the architect, including Numbers (1964) by American artist Jasper Johns and Circus Women (1931) and Two Female Nudes (1931) by sculptor Elie Nadelman.

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts contains four archives of material concerning theater, dance, music, and recorded sound. It also provides reference services, circulating and research collections of books and recordings, and free recitals and films. It is located in the New York Public Library at Lincoln Center, completed in 1965. Le Guichet—The Box Office (1963), a stabile by American sculptor Alexander Calder, is located here.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center, begun in 1963, promotes the appreciation of film. It is housed in the Samuel B. and David Rose Building, opened in 1990. Also located here is the School of American Ballet. Founded in 1934, it is the only institution in the United States devoted exclusively to the training of ballet dancers for professional employment.

Reviewed by: Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts