The holidays are busy, but everyone needs a break, and what better way to replenish your mind and soul than by looking at art? Here are a few exhibitions to check out when you can step away from all the chaos and take a moment or more to revel in the gift of art. Whether it’s the subtle humor of Thomas Schütte, the emotional embodiment of Ralph Lemon, the aesthetic brilliance of Alexandra Exter, or the ones on our list ‘s other content, you’ll be glad you took the time. —Natalie Haddad, Comments Editor
DeShawn Price
15 east72 Walker Street, 3rd Floor, Tribeca, Manhattan
As of January 4, 2025
Deshaun Price’s brooding portraits of people and landscapes breathe softly in Tribeca’s gorgeous new location, 15 Orient, a former Brooklyn apartment gallery. Neither the gallery space nor the artwork on the walls seem finished, but that’s what makes the exhibition so complete. Price’s characters are half there, half not there, calling us into their world where intimacy and distance, loneliness and togetherness, are constantly negotiated. They may leave you with necessary new questions about your place in the world. —judge bishara
Thomas Schutte
Museum of Modern Art11 West 53rd Street, Midtown Manhattan
As of January 18, 2025
Schutte’s sculptures are often imbued with dry humor that helps humanize forms that sometimes feel stuffy or academic, while the collision of emotions makes the results endearing. For example, he was curious Melonelli The 1986 collection combines the words “melon” and “loneliness” while also evoking the word melancholy. He turns the watermelon horns into strange shapes that suggest a meaning that we as viewers cannot fathom, even if at times we feel like we are on the verge of understanding it. A large retrospective with many clues for viewers to follow. —Herage Vartanyan
Alexandra Exeter: The stage is a world
Ukrainian Museum222 East 6th Street, East Village, Manhattan
As of January 19, 2025
If you’ve never heard of Alexandra Exter, you can add her to the list of underappreciated female artists. Fortunately, the Ukrainian Museum has it. The stage is a world It contains more than 30 works by this versatile artist in the European avant-garde art world of the early 20th century. He moved between painting, drawing, filmmaking, traditional crafts, theater design and fashion. Exter weaves together different artistic styles and eras, using color and pattern as formal and emotional elements to create a striking aesthetic world. A series of costume designs presented in a constructivist style highlighted the drama of the movement. Paintings such as the spectacular Masked Figures on the Bank of a Venetian Canal and Carnival Parade (both c. 1927-29) draw on Cubist and Futurist architectural backgrounds, while harlequins and masked figures in the foreground create a An incredible atmosphere, like the collision of two worlds. Movies screened in the spacious screening room, accompanied by mannequins designed by Exter, bring her visual imagination to life. —NH
Vital Signs: The Artist and the Body
Museum of Modern Art11 West 53rd Street, Midtown Manhattan
As of February 22, 2025
I rank this exhibition as the best of the year because its presentation refuses carnivalization—which can easily happen when dealing with the human body—and instead offers a more rational understanding of corporeal reality. From Rosemary Mayer’s ethereal Gala Placidia (1973), a tribute to a marginalized fifth-century Roman empress, to Ted Joans’ The exquisite corpses of 132 artists, located at the center of a major gallery, include Ishmael Reed , Ray Johnson, Dorothea Tanning, Barbara Chase-Riboud, and many more, these works not only challenge us to think about the human body, but also how we are connected (or not) to each other. —high pressure
Aerial Ritual: Ralph Lemon
Museum of Modern Art PS122–25 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens
As of March 24, 2025
The celebrated choreographer has increasingly delved into contemporary art, and the celebration celebrates his career in the visual and performing arts, including his stunning work with artist Kevin Beasley. The impressive four-channel video and sound installation also includes a dense series of paintings and memetic sculptures, as well as a series of exceptional music and dance performances that seem to tap into the emotions in our bodies.
Tell It Anyway is the first in a series of six performances, a thrilling experiment in visual and aural storytelling that takes the audience into Lemmon’s mind. There’s a lot to see and experience here, so take your time and fully immerse yourself in this celebration of movement and form from a man with a thirst for innovation. —high pressure
Above Ground: The Art of Martin Wong’s Graffiti Collection
museum of the city of new york1220 Fifth Avenue, East Harlem, Manhattan
As of August 10, 2025
It was great to see the collection of Martin Wong, who is not only a very accomplished contemporary artist but also a pioneer in collecting the creator’s own graffiti. It’s a rare window into a genre that continues to thrill audiences of all stripes with its raw and entertaining energy. Unlike other collectors in the field, Wong assembled these pieces with a true artist’s eye, creating works that are less decorative and more aesthetically challenging than other graffiti collections of the era. Rammellzee, Lee Quiñones, Lady Pink, Futura 2000 and many more are among them, among other examples from a movement that changed the world. —high pressure
