What Not to Miss in New York City this May

May in New York City brings an almost endless lineup of auctions, fairs, and exhibitions. To help you navigate it all, LVH Art has curated a tailored guide of the must-see galleries, museum exhibitions and art fairs. From solo exhibitions to immersive installations, this list highlights the very best of the city’s art scene!

FAIRS

Frieze New York
May 7–11 | frieze.com
Frieze New York, led by Christine Messineo as director, brings together the world’s leading galleries at The Shed. This year’s Focus section—highlighting solo presentations by emerging galleries—will be curated by Lumi Tan, acclaimed for her work as senior curator at The Kitchen in New York. The fair presents a dynamic opportunity to explore rising talent and engage with influential figures from art history. It’s an expansive experience—and the perfect starting point for inspiration.

TEFAF New York
May 9–13 | tefaf.com
TEFAF New York returns for its tenth edition at the iconic Park Avenue Armory, uniting the world’s premier art dealers to present an extraordinary array of works. While the fair includes a strong focus on modern and contemporary art, it also distinguishes itself with exceptional offerings in jewellery, antiques, and design. TEFAF always offers an exceptional lineup of dealers and galleries specialising in Old Masters and fine antiques. And yes, get ready for an abundance of flower photos.

NADA New York
May 7–11 | newartdealers.org
NADA New York 2025, organised by the New Art Dealers Alliance, will feature 120 galleries, art spaces, and non-profits from across the globe. Renowned for its focus on emerging artists and rising galleries, the fair offers a vibrant, social atmosphere that encourages discovery and dialogue. Highlights include NADA Presents—the organization’s signature series of talks, performances, and events—and the return of the TD Bank Curated Spotlight, which this year will shine a light on artists and galleries from Texas and Mexico.
 
Independent Art Fair
May 8–11 | independenthq.com
The Independent Art Fair stands apart for its more curated approach. It presents two main events—Independent and Independent 20th Century—alongside a range of editorial projects, exhibitions, and programming. Participation in the fair’s show section is by invitation only, with galleries selected to ensure a high level of curatorial excellence. This year’s edition will be held at Spring Studios in Tribeca.

Esther 
May 6–10 | https://esther.ee/
Esther II, the second edition of the alternative art fair founded by Margot Samel and Olga Temnikova, returns to New York’s historic Estonia House. Known for spotlighting galleries with Northern and Eastern European roots, this year’s fair will feature 25 participants and offer a collaborative, community-driven experience with fresh voices, and intimate programming. Unlike traditional art fairs, Esther feels more like an exhibition—the artworks are installed directly onto the venue’s original wood-paneled walls, forgoing high ceilings and temporary structures in favor of warmth and character.

1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair
May 8–11 | 1-54.org
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair returns to New York, featuring a curated selection of contemporary works by emerging and established artists from Africa and its diaspora, along with tailored programming in collaboration with leading institutions.

INSTITUTIONAL EXHIBITIONS

Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
April 18 – Jan 18, 2026 | Guggenheim.org

This major solo exhibition features nearly 90 works by artist Rashid Johnson. It spans black-soap paintings, spray-painted text, sculptures, and multimedia pieces. Johnson draws from history, philosophy, literature, and music, positioning himself as both a scholar and a creative force in contemporary art.

Hilma af Klint: What Stands Behind the Flowers, Museum of Modern Art
May 11–Sept. 27, 2025 | MoMA.org
 
The Museum of Modern Art presents a new exhibition featuring MoMA’s recent acquisition of 46 botanical drawings by Swedish artist Hilma af Klint. The works explore her distinctive blend of abstraction and detailed botanical studies, offering a deeper look at how nature can reveal hidden truths about the human condition.

Amy Sherald: American Sublime, Whitney Museum of American Art
April 9 – Aug 10, 2025 | Whitney.org
 
This exhibition features a striking billboard across from the Museum’s entrance on Gansevoort Street, showcasing Amy Sherald’s evocative paintings of everyday Black Americans. Through her carefully crafted portraits, Sherald challenges traditional narratives, celebrating the complexity and individuality of her subjects while highlighting the omission of Black figures from art history, offering a new vision of American Realism.

Ruth Asawa: A Retrospective, MoMA
Oct 19 – Feb 7, 2026 | MoMA.org
 
Ruth Asawa: A Retrospective at MoMA explores over six decades of the artist’s work, featuring approximately 300 pieces across various mediums, including wire sculpture, bronze casts, drawings, and public commissions. This first posthumous survey celebrates Asawa’s innovative approach to materials and forms, highlighting her unique ability to transform simple materials into profound subjects of contemplation, while emphasising her deep commitment to community and arts education.

Sam Moyer: Woman with Holes, Hill art foundation
May 1 – Aug 1, 2025 | Hillartfoundation.org 
 
Woman with Holes, opening May 1, 2025, at the Hill Art Foundation, presents a survey of Sam Moyer’s work alongside pieces from the Hill Collection, exploring abstraction as dream logic through unexpected material pairings and dramatic scale shifts. The exhibition invites viewers to engage with the tension between the familiar and the uncanny, featuring Moyer’s stone paintings, hand-papermaking works, and sculptures, alongside works by artists like Robert Gober, Jasper Johns, and Isamu Noguchi.

Chamberlain Goes Outdoors, in front of The Rockefeller Center
April 16 – May 30, 2025 | Rockerfellercenter.com 
 
Chamberlain Goes Outdoors at Rockefeller Center features three large-scale sculptures by John Chamberlain, including the debut of BALMYWISECRACK (Copper) in the U.S. Presented by Mnuchin Gallery. This installation offers a rare opportunity to experience Chamberlain’s final works in one of New York’s most iconic public spaces, alongside an exhibition of smaller sculptures at Christie’s and a new book release at McNally Jackson.
 

The Genesis Facade Commission: Lee Bul, Long Tail Halo, The MET
Through June 10, 2025 | Metmuseum.org 
 
South Korean artist Lee Bul transformed the iconic niches of The Met’s Fifth Avenue facade with four new sculptures that blend classical and contemporary elements, exploring themes of history, memory, and the ambiguous relationship between the body, machinery, and architecture. This commission marks Lee’s first major U.S. project in over twenty years, continuing The Met’s series of contemporary works that engage in dialogue with the Museum’s collection, architecture, and audience.

The Frick Collection
Reopened April 17, 2025 | Frick.org
 
The Frick Collection reopened on April 17, 2025, after a multi-year renovation that enhanced its historic Fifth Avenue home, adding new galleries, special exhibition spaces, and educational facilities, all while preserving the museum’s iconic charm. This comprehensive upgrade marked the first major transformation since the Frick’s opening in 1935, offering visitors a refreshed experience of its renowned collection and a slate of exciting new programs and exhibitions.
 

Commercial Gallery Exhibitions

Willem de Kooning: Endless Painting at Gagosian
The show delves into the artist’s ongoing engagement with the act of painting as an endless pursuit, highlighting de Kooning’s transformative approach to abstraction and figuration. Featuring a selection of iconic works, the exhibition illuminates his innovative process and his continuous exploration of form, movement, and color.
The show runs from April 15 – June 14, 2025.

Picasso: Tête-à-Tête at Gagosian
Picasso: Tête-à-Tête brings together a selection of works that explore the artist’s intimate relationships and their influence on his creative output. The exhibition delves into Picasso’s personal connections, offering insight into the evolving dynamics of his relationships through his art.
The show runs from April 18 – July 3, 2025.
 
Jim Shaw: Drawings at Gagosian
Jim Shaw: Drawings showcases a series of the artist’s intricate and thought-provoking drawings. The exhibition explores Shaw’s unique approach to surrealism, blending personal narratives with broader cultural references in a distinctive visual language.
The show runs from May 1 – June 14, 2025.

William Kentridge: A Natural History of the Studio at Hauser & Wirth
This exhibition explores the artist’s creative process through a mix of drawings, films, and sculptures. The exhibition highlights the studio as a site of transformation, where personal and historical narratives intertwine.
 The show runs from May 1 – July 25, 2025.

Francis Picabia: Eternal Beginning at Hauser & Wirth
This show explores the artist’s radical approach to abstraction and figuration. The exhibition features key works that reflect Picabia’s ongoing investigation into visual language, identity, and the nature of creativity.
The show runs from May 1 – July 25, 2025.
 
Leiko Ikemura: Talk to the Sky, Seeking Light at Lisson Gallery
This exhibition features a series of works that reflect the artist’s ongoing exploration of the human form and its connection to the natural world. Through painting and sculpture, Ikemura evokes themes of spirituality, transformation, and the search for light.
The show runs from May 1 – August 1, 2025.
 
Sam Moyer: Subject to Change at Sean Kelly Gallery
Sam Moyer: Subject to Change features a collection of works that examine materiality, transformation, and the passage of time. Moyer’s practice blends abstraction with a deep engagement in texture and surface, creating pieces that evolve and adapt in response to their surroundings.
The show runs from May 2 – June 14, 2025.
 
Carmen Herrera: The Paris Years: 1948 – 1953 at Lisson Gallery
Carmen Herrera: The Paris Years: 1948 – 1953 focuses on the artist’s early years in Paris, a formative period that influenced her minimalist approach to abstraction. The exhibition highlights key works from this time, revealing Herrera’s exploration of color, form, and geometry.
The show runs from May 1 – August 1, 2025.
 
Pierre Huyghe: Spirits at Marian Goodman Gallery
This exhibition presents a thought-provoking exploration of life, consciousness, and the intersection of nature and technology. Through a series of immersive works, Huyghe investigates the presence of unseen forces and the fluidity of reality.
The show runs from May 6 – June 21, 2025.
 
Pablo Picasso: Still Life at Almine Rech
Pablo Picasso: Still Life showcases a selection of the artist’s iconic still life paintings, exploring his innovative approach to form, perspective, and abstraction. The exhibition highlights Picasso’s mastery in transforming everyday objects into complex visual compositions.
The show runs from May 1 – July 18, 2025.
 
Yu Nishimura: Clearing Unfolds at David Zwirner
The works in this exhibition explore themes of transformation and space, with Nishimura creating intricate, layered compositions that invite contemplation and engagement.
The show runs from April 24 – June 27, 2025.

Tomma Abts at David Zwirner
This solo show showcases a new series of the artist’s meticulously crafted abstract paintings. Known for her innovative use of color, form, and geometry, Abts continues to push the boundaries of abstraction, creating works that invite close, contemplative engagement.
The show runs from May 1 – June 14, 2025.

Michael Armitage: Crucible at David Zwirner
Michael Armitage: Crucible presents a striking series of paintings that explore the complexities of identity, history, and contemporary life. Armitage’s vibrant works are informed by his Kenyan heritage and delve into issues of politics, social upheaval, and personal reflection.
The show runs from May 8 – June 27, 2025.

Circa 1995: New Figuration in New York at David 
The exhibition features eight generation-defining artists who played a central role in the resurgence and expansion of figurative painting during the 1990s: John Currin, Peter Doig, Marlene Dumas, Chris Ofili, Laura Owens, Elizabeth Peyton, Luc Tuymans, and Lisa Yuskavage.
The show runs from May 7 – July 17, 2025.
 
The Making of Modern Korean Art: The Letters of Kim Tschang-Yeul, Kim Whanki, Lee Ufan, and Park Seo-Bo, 1961–1982 at Tim Kim
This exhibition offers an insightful look into the personal correspondences of these influential Korean artists. Through their letters, the exhibition traces the evolution of modern Korean art, revealing the intellectual and creative exchange that shaped their groundbreaking work.
The show runs from May 5 – June 21, 2025.
 
Louise Giovanelli at Grimm
At Grimm in New York, Louise Giovanelli presents a captivating series of paintings that explore the intersections of abstraction and figuration. Giovanelli’s works blend traditional techniques with contemporary themes, creating pieces that invite viewers to reconsider the boundaries of representation and perception.
The show runs from May 9 – June 21, 2025.
 
Malick Sidibé: Regardez-moi at Jack Shainman
At Jack Shainman in New York, Malick Sidibé: Regardez-moi showcases a selection of the renowned Malian photographer’s iconic portraits. Sidibé’s intimate and vibrant images capture the spirit of youth and life in Bamako, reflecting both personal identity and broader social change in post-independence Mali.
The show runs from April 17 – May 31, 2025.
 
Timothy Lai: Still. Yet. Still. at Jack Barrett, New York
Timothy Lai: Still. Yet. Still. features a series of works that explore the subtle tensions between stasis and movement. Lai’s intricate pieces invite reflection on the passage of time, offering a meditative space where stillness and change coexist.
The show runs from April 4 – May 10, 2025.
 
Alicja Kwade: Telos Tales at Pace
At Pace in New York, Alicja Kwade: Telos Tales presents an exploration of time, perception, and the universe through a series of sculptural works. Kwade’s intricate installations invite viewers to question the nature of reality, as she delves into philosophical and scientific themes with a unique blend of abstraction and symbolism.
The show runs from May 7 – August 15, 2025.
 
Olivia Jia: Mirror Stage at Margot Samel
At Margot Samel’s gallery, an exhibition featuring Olivia Jia’s work, titled Mirror Stage, is on view. The exhibition delves into themes of identity, self-reflection, and the intersection of personal and collective experiences through Jia’s thought-provoking visual language.
The show runs from April 30 – May 31, 2025.

Salman Toor: Wish Maker at Luhring Augustine Gallery
The paintings in this explore themes of desire, intimacy, and cultural identity, with Toor’s vibrant and emotive works offering a reflection on personal and societal narratives.
The show runs from May 2 – June 21, 2025.