The Large Galleries
The giants of the international commercial art world, these NYC galleries do everything from advising to tapping into the zeitgeist (and some might say creating the zeitgeist as well). Their shows range from new names to legends of modern/contemporary art; displayed in simple spaces and backed by impeccable research. In addition, many of the galleries publish catalogs and monographs, hold virtual and/or IRL exclusive interviews with artists, curators, and historians, posting the results on their websites. The result is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the field of art, from creation to collecting.
Gagosian: Anselm Kiefer: Seal My Ears Shut and I Shall Hear You Still (May 15 – June 27, 2026 at 541 West 24th Street), Helen Frankenthaler: The Moment and the Distance (April 30 – July 2, 2026 at 522 West 21st Street), Giuseppe Penone: The Reflection of Bronze curated by Adam D. Weinberg (April 22 – July 2, 2026 at 555 West 24th Street) Marcel Duchamp (April 25 – June 27, 2026 at 980 Madison Avenue), Robert Rauschenberg: Important Early Works from the Cy Twombly Foundation (April 25 – June 27, 2026 at 980 Madison Avenue), Dave: All My Relations organized by Theaster Gates (March 26 – May 2, 2026 at Park & 75 [821 Park Avenue])
Hauser & Wirth: Allison Katz: Outta the Bag (April 30 – July 24 at 134 Wooster Street), Carol Rama – I See You You See Me (May 12 – July 31, 2026 at 542 West 22nd Street location), Firelei Báez – Feet squelching on grass, nourished by uncertainty (May 12 – July 31, 2026 at 542 West 22nd Street location), Life With P. – Philip Guston: Paintings and Drawings 1964-1978 (April 21 – July 10, 2026 at 443 West 18th Street location)
Pace Galleries: Julian Schnabel: Italy Through Its Trees (May 15 – Aug 14, 2026 at 540 West 25th Street location), David Hockney: The Moon Room (May 15 – Aug 14, 2026 at 540 West 25th Street location), Paul Thek: Dream of Vanishing (May 15 – Aug 14, 2026 at 540 West 25th Street location), Emily Kam Kngwarray: The Turning Season (May 15 – August 14, 2026 at 508 and 510 West 25th Street locations), David Byrne (April 10 – December 31, 2026 at 540 West 25th Street location) CHAIR SHOW (April 17 – May 23, 2026 at 125 Newbury located at 395 Broadway)
David Zwirner: Gerhard Richter: Landschaften (May 7 – July 10, 2026 at 537 West 20th Street location), Jasper Johns: Copy/Trace (May 7 – June 26, 2026 at 537 West 20th Street location) Lisa Yuskavage (May 14 – June 26, 2026 at 533 West 19th Street location), Set in Stone (May 12 – June 26, 2026 at 34 East 69th Street location), Statics of an Egg (May 8 – June 27, 2026 at 52 Walker Street)
The Mid-Size & Small Galleries
Offering everything from a deep dive into a little-known aspect of an artist’s career, an introduction to an established artist from another country, or exploring a topic you never considered before, the mid-size and small galleries of NYC leave an indelible impression on visitors. Run by noted experts in their subject, these gallerists often place their artists’ works in major arts institutions around the country, helping create permanent collections that future generations of art lovers will find useful and relevant. The listing below is just a sample of the fantastic variety of works available for viewing this season.
Mid-Size Galleries
Hollis Taggart: On the Nature of Daylight (April 16 – May 23, 2026 at 521 West 26th Street location), Elizabeth Abel: Acquiescence (April 10 – May 10, 2026 at 109 Norfolk Street location)
Lehmann Maupin (501 West 24th Street): OSGEMEOS: The Open Window and Erwin Wurm: Double Dream (both shows April 23 – June 6, 2026)
Galerie Lelong (528 West 26th Street): Ficre Ghebreyesus: Color is Supreme (April – May 9, 2026), Lucia Laguna: Apenas meus cabelos são brancos… [Only my hair is white…] (May 14 – June 27, 2026)
Lisson Gallery: Kelly Akashi: Heirloom (May 13 – July 25, 2026 at 508 West 24th Street location), Huguette Caland: My Home (May 13 – July 25, 2026 at 504 West 24th Street location)
Luhring Augustine: Emily Kraus: In Relation (April 11 – June 13, 2026 at 17 White Street location), Leon Kossoff (April 17 – June 20, 2026 at 531 West 24th Street location)
Small Galleries
Alexander Gray Associates (384 Broadway): Joan Semmel: Continuities (April 17 – May 30, 2026)
HB381 (381 Broadway): Marit Tingleff: Into the Green (opening May 8, 2026)
Claire Oliver Gallery (2288 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd): Judith Schaechter: Super/Natural (March 20 – May 23, 2026), Carolyn Mazloomi: Chasing Freedom (March 20 – May 23, 2026), Masters of the Stitch: Threaded Stories, Carolyn Mazloomi Collection (May 29 – August 8, 2026)
Rosenberg & Co. (19 East 66th Street): Giacomo Manzù: The Artist and his Dealer (opening May 7, 2026)
60 White (60 White Street): Keith Haring: A World in Motion (May 14 – September 1, 2026)
Jack Shainman: Lynette Yiadom-Boakye: Many a Moonlit Caveat (April 24 – July 31, 2026 at 513 West 20th Street and 46 Lafayette Street)
School Museums & Galleries
NYC has an international reputation for the depth and breadth of its educational institutions: what is less known is how many of them contain galleries open to the public (often with free admission). These spaces feature a stunning range of exhibition topics: alumni artworks, school collections/archives, and graduate students’ work in curation, design, and research.
Art Students League of New York (215 West 57th Street): Anna Walinska and Her Circle (until May 24, 2026), Fairfield Porter: What Everyone Knows (June 5 – August 18, 2026)
Bard Gallery (18 West 86th Street): Viollet-le-Duc: Drawing Worlds (January 28 – May 24, 2026)
Grey Art Museum (New York University, 18 Cooper Square): New York University and The Berkley Collection present The Declaration of Independence: Long Trail to Liberty (May 8 – July 10, 2026)
Bertha and Karl Leubsdorf Gallery (Hunter College, Hunter West Building, 132 East 68th Street): BFA Thesis Exhibition: surface/tension (May 14 – June 6, 2026)
ISAW [Institute for the Study of the Ancient World] (15 East 84th Street): TBA
ISLAA [Institute for Studies on Latin American Art] (142 Franklin Street): Carlos Cruz-Diez: Color at Stake and Claudio Perna: Idea Como Arte (both until May 2, 2026)
Mishkin Gallery (Baruch College, 135 East 22nd Street): Changing Cultures: Zhen Guo, A Retrospective (March 12 – June 12, 2026)
Museum at FIT (227 West 27th Street): TBA
New York School of Interior Design (170 East 70th Street): TBA
New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting & Sculpture (8 West 8th Street): TBA
Print Center New York (535 West 24th Street): Felipe Baeza: Anima (February 5 – May 23, 2026), New Voices: Design (June 11 – August 22, 2026)
Wallach Gallery (Columbia University, 615 West 129th Street, 6th Floor): TBA
Associations & Cultural Centers
A side effect of NYC’s diversity is the tremendous amount of organizations eager to share their communities’ artistic/cultural contributions to the USA and the world at large. Their exhibitions are geared more towards contemporary and/or modern works, with the occasional historical show linking to the institution’s background. In addition, they offer concerts, educational programs, films, and lectures (both virtual and in-person) on a wide variety of subjects that are enjoyed by fans and newbies alike.
AS/COA (Americas Society/Council of the Americas, 680 Park Avenue): Amazonia Açu (September 3, 2025 – April 18, 2026), Flag Series: MAHKU, Pedro Mana, Yube Nawa Ainbu, 2025 (September 3, 2025 – April 18, 2026), Atrium Series: Evan Venegas, Day Map 61317, 2017 (September 3, 2025 – April 18, 2026), Lilia Carrillo: Ruptures and Premonitions (May 6 – August 1, 2026)
Austrian Cultural Forum New York (11 East 52nd Street): The ALBERTINA Museum: Celebrating 250 Years (May 11 – May 22, 2026, ONLY OPEN Monday – Friday, 2pm – 5pm)
Center for Book Arts (28 West 27th Street): Shatter / Chatter: Rosaire Appel (January 21 – May 2, 2026), Rewriting the World: Isidore Isou and the Lettrist Book (January 21 – May 2, 2026)
Czech Center New York (Bohemian National Hall, 321 East 73rd Street): Parallel Arrivals (January 22 – March 4, 2026)
The Drawing Center (35 Wooster Street): Voice of Space: UFOs and Paranormal Phenomena (October 17, 2025 – February 1, 2026), Trisha Donnelly (October 17, 2025 – February 1, 2026)
The Grolier Club (47 East 60th Street): Running Through Heaven: Visions of Jack Kerouac (March 5 – May 16, 2026), Risings: The Irish Literary Revival and the Making of a Nation (April 29 – July 25, 2026) Information here
Instituto Cervantes New York (211 East 49th Street): Guardians of the Glaciers, a photographic and multimedia exhibition by Ángela Ponce (January 30 – April 1, 2026)
Japan Society (333 East 47th Street): Kawai Kanjirō: House to House (March 10 – May 10, 2026)
National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South at 20th Street): Harry Benson: Life and Art (April 27 – June 26, 2026), Singing in the Springtime: The Joyful Voice of Ruby C. Williams (April 29 – May 27, 2026) Information here
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (40 Lincoln Center or 111 Amsterdam Avenue between 64th & 65th Streets): Mystery and Wonder: A Legacy of Golden Age Magicians in New York City (until July 11, 2026)
New York Public Library, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (515 Malcolm X Boulevard at 135th Street): 100: A Century of Collections, Community, and Creativity (until June 30, 2026)
New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (42nd Street and Fifth Avenue): Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures (ongoing), A Century of The New Yorker (February 22, 2025 – February 21, 2026), ¡Wepa! Puerto Ricans in the World of Comics (October 4, 2025 – March 8, 2026), Niyū Yūrk: Middle Eastern and North African Lives in the City (October 4, 2025 – March 8, 2026)
Milton Resnick and Pat Passlof Foundation (87 Eldridge Street): Building Models: The Shape of Painting Curated by Saul Ostrow (September 5, 2025 – January 17, 2026)
Scandinavia House (58 Park Avenue): A Time for Everything: 25 Years of Contemporary Art at Scandinavia House (October 18, 2025 – February 14, 2026)
Society of Illustrators (128 East 63rd Street): Something Else Entirely: The Illustration Art of Edward Gorey (October 4, 2025 – February 7, 2026), The Original Art – 45th Annual Exhibition (October 25, 2025 – January 24, 2026)
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