NYC Galleries and Museum Exhibitions to Have on Your Radar in 2025
A comprehensive guide to the art coming to the walls of New York's vibrant collection of galleries and museums.
Every new year marks for a fun time to plan new activities and get into new hobbies. Exploring New York City's art scene is always a good idea, as the metropolis is filled with constantly cycling exhibitions and a bustling gallery scene. Whether attending art shows is a longtime passion or a newer fascination, we highlight shows below that are coming to New York in 2025 worth marking in your calendar. After all, New York winters may be gray and frigid, but these are a fun way to bring color and joy into the year's coldest months.
From Cy Twombly at the Gagosian Gallery to George Condo at Hauser & Wirth, there is plenty of exciting, thought-provoking art to bundle up and enjoy. As the days thaw out, some of the city's most famous museums are unveiling collections are worth noting months in advance. Most notably, for fashion lovers, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's exhibition and theme for this year's Met Gala, "Tailoring Black Style" is opening following the first Monday of May. Only a month prior, in April, the Frick Collection will return to its iconic Upper East Side mansion after five years of shutting its doors.
There is plenty to look forward to in the world of art and design as we progress through 2025. Keep scrolling to discover details on the NYC galleries and museum exhibitions to be excited about this year, from more underground shows to larger scale exhibitions.
Pirouette: Turning Points in Design at the MoMA
"Pirouette: Turning Points of Design" is on show at the Museum of Modern Art from January 26 to October 18, 2025, and it highlights the deep impact design, from furniture, electronics, information, symbols and more has on culture at large. Presenting objects from the MoMA's collection from the 1930s to today, the pieces range from well-known symbols to lesser-known objects that have served important roles in creating and adapting to society's constant evolution.
George Condo Pastels at Hauser & Wirth
George Condo, who once worked as a printer for Andy Warhol, went on to have an illustrious career in Europe which included joining the Mülheimer Freiheit group of artists in Cologne in the 1980s. Now in 2025, his collection of pastel work is on display at Hauser & Wirth on Wooster St., allowing viewers to get a unique perspective of his creative process. The collection is on view from January 29 through April 12, 2025.
Cy Twombly at Gagosian
Never before-seen pieces from Cy Twombly's collection are on display at Gagosian on 980 Madison Avenue from January 23 to March 22, 2025. The show includes paintings, sculptures, and works on paper by Twombly from 1968 to 1990. Works in this collection represent a flux between painting, writing, and drawing.
The Ghosts Ask at David Nolan Gallery
The sixth solo exhibition by German artist, Erwin Pfrang, is on show at the David Nolan Gallery from January 10 through March 1, 2025. Pfrang's has a strong connection to New York, with permanent pieces on display at the MoMA and collections shown at David Nolan for the past three decades. In the latest exhibition, Pfrang takes inspiration from 1980s Italy and James Joyce, offering eerie compositions.
Configurations in Black at Marianne Boesky Gallery
Serge Alain Nitegeka, a Rwanda-born and South Africa-based artist is bringing "Configurations in Black" to the Marianne Boesky Gallery. His abstract, geometric paintings and sculptures tackle the subjects of forced migration, as well as cultural and political borders, drawing from his own experience as a refugee. The collection is on display from January 30 to March 8, 2025, at the gallery in Chelsea.
Kingdom of Cats at Gagosian
Japanese artist Setsuko's bronze and ceramic sculptures are on display in New York for the first time at Gagosian, located at 821 Park Avenue. The show, titled "Kingdom of Cats," prominently features feline elements. Setsuko has owned many cats and draws inspiration from them in her sculptures, which depict the everyday in a precise yet organic way.
Rashid Johnson at the Guggenheim
Bringing a collection to the spiraling, Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Guggenheim museum is a career hallmark for any artist. Rashid Johnson's "A Poem for Deep Thinkers" is open at the museum from April 18 through January 18, 2026. Johnson has left an influential impact on conversations about race and art in America, and the exhibition will contain mixed-media pieces around the topic of personal and political meanings of one's identity.
Superfine: Tailoring Black Style at The Met's Costume Institute
"Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," also the theme of the 2025 Met Gala, was announced this past fall. Following one of fashion's most celebrated night, the exhibition will be on view at the museum from May 10 to October 26, 2025. The exhibition is focused on sharing the history of Black dandyism from Enlightenment Europe to today's incarnations. Garments, accessories, drawings, paintings, photographs, and films that tell the story of the figure of the Black dandy will be on display in the exhibit, guest curated by Monica L. Miller.
The Reopening of The Frick Collection
The Frick Collection, located in a historic Upper East Side Mansion, has long offered viewers a look at some of the most beautiful artworks from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century. The building has been closed for renovations since 2021 but is set to reopen this April. With the reopening comes exciting public programs and special installations to watch out for, with more details coming throughout the spring.
