Featured Events in New York in May 2025 (June Updated)

The first US solo museum exhibition of New York City-based artist Julien Ceccaldi (French/Canadian, b. 1987) features a newly commissioned large-scale painting that transforms the first-floor MoMA PS1 galleries at an architectural scale, casting visitors into a distorted episode drawn from the experience of everyday digital subjugation and hyperconsumerism. Ceccaldi exploits techniques common to both the animation studio and the Italian Renaissance, including trompe l’oeil, overlay, and freeze frame.

It’s the summer of 1987, and Ana García dreamsof flying away from East Los Angeles.But when her family’s garment business receives a make-or-break order for 200 dresses, Ana finds herself juggling her own ambitions, her mother’s expectations, and a community of women all trying to make it work against the odds. Based on the play by Josefina López that inspired the iconic hit film, the show features songs by Grammy Award–winning songwriter Joy Huerta (Jesse & Joy) and Benjamin Velez (Kiss My Aztec), a book by Lisa Loomer (Girl, Interrupted) with Nell Benjamin (Mean Girls), music supervision by Nadia DiGiallonardo (Waitress), and choreography and direction by Tony® winner Sergio Trujillo (Ain’t Too Proud).

“The full-of-riches new musical brings the classic record to life.” – The New York Times Step into the heart of Cuba, beyond the glitz of the Tropicana, to a place where blazing trumpets and sizzling guitars set the dance floor on fire. Here, the real sound of Havana is born—and one woman discovers the music that will change her life forever. Inspired by true events, the new Broadway musical Buena Vista Social Club ™ brings the Grammy® Award-winning album to thrilling life—and tells the story of the legends who lived it. A world-class Afro-Cuban band joins a sensational cast of musicians, actors, and dancers from around the world for an authentic experience unlike any you’ve seen or heard before. Don’t miss this unforgettable tale of big dreams, second chances, and the power of art to help us survive. “Give yourself over to Buena Vista Social Club .”

A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical is a stage show celebrating the life and music of the legendary singer-songwriter Neil Diamond. The musical takes the audience on a journey through Diamond's life, from his early days as a struggling songwriter to his rise to fame in the 1960s and beyond. Along the way, the show explores the stories behind some of Diamond's most beloved songs and the moments that inspired them.

The River is a Circle is a software-driven animation by Marina Zurkow (b. 1962, New York, NY) that presents a view of the Hudson River as a horizontal split between the world above and below the water. The dynamic composition of the animated elements is driven by algorithmic probability and reflects the current weather and season in New York. The work brings together a mix of river ecology, researched with the help of Hudson River Park Trust, and references to the history of the Meatpacking District, including its time as a trading post for the Lenape people, a hub for meat processing plants, a haven for queer night life, and a site for the sculptural works by Gordon Matta-Clark and David Hammons across from the Whitney. The River is a Circle extends the underwater environment to the terrace with maritime wreckage and oyster reef balls, structures used to provide a habitat for oysters. It speculates on circular systems and a potentially positive cyclical flow back to modest strategies of maintaining ecological networks.

Mary Heilmann (b. 1940; San Francisco) once said that "museums are places to hang out," and this exhibition embodies that spirit, inviting social connection and engagement with the Whitney's architecture, the Hudson River, and the surrounding cityscape. The immersive environment includes a hand-painted enlargement of Heilmann's 2020 painting Long Line, as well as a variety of sculptural chairs related to furniture she has displayed in galleries and homes. The influence of 1960s counterculture and geometric Minimalism are reflected in Heilmann's decades-long approach to abstraction, one centered on exuberant color and unorthodox form. Long Line was influenced by the artist's experience watching waves off the coasts of Long Island and California—here it creates a visual rhyme with the Hudson River

Marina Zurkow: Parting Worlds brings together a selection of software-based works by Marina Zurkow (b. 1962; New York), an artist who explores the intersection of nature and culture through various mediums, including code, animation, and participatory experiences like dinners and card games. In the works on view in the gallery and on the adjacent terrace, Zurkow uses software that drives the interplay of the elements seen on screen and their ever-changing compositions to reflect on the complexity of ecological and social systems. The animations Mesocosm (Wink, TX) (2012) and The Earth Eaters (2025) imagine the environmental damage that results from the repeated extraction of raw materials. The work that constitutes the Hyundai Terrace Commission—The River is a Circle (2025)—is site-specific and engages with the ecologies of the Hudson River and the neighborhood surrounding the Whitney. “Parting Worlds” in the title alludes to the landscapes above and below the water, the earth breaking apart in a sinkhole, and islands emerging and separating as they are continually tapped for natural resources. It is also a phrase that evokes impermanence and loss as environments change and disappear due to human intervention and natural evolution.

"I see New York City as a great big sculpture," Louise Nevelson once remarked. Born in Pereiaslav, Ukraine, Nevelson (1899–1988) lived and worked in Manhattan from the 1920s through the 1980s. Known for her bold monochrome assemblages of stacked and composed found objects, Nevelson was captivated by the city's ever-changing skyline and saw creative potential in discarded materials that she scavenged throughout its streets at night. By painting these sculptures a single color (black), she cloaked the specific, identifying details of disparate objects such as duck decoys, lettuce crates, and pieces of rebar, transforming them into abstract shapes. Collection View: Louise Nevelson reimagines the relationship between Nevelson's work and New York, highlighting the dynamic interplay she sought to suggest in her work between motion and stillness, light and shadow, dawn and dusk.

A dazzling showcase of more than 60 jewelry creations that celebrates our enduring fascination with the cosmos. For millennia, people have been moved by the grandeur of space to explore the workings of our universe—and to create captivating works of art. From the early astronomical observations of Galileo to iconic space missions such as Apollo 11, along with new findings made possible by cutting-edge tools like the James Webb Space Telescope, discoveries about the universe have influenced and inspired artistic expression. A stunning assemblage of astronomically inspired jewelry is the focus of the new exhibition Cosmic Splendor: Jewelry from the Collections of Van Cleef & Arpels.

Textiles touch every aspect of our lives and connect us to history. “Threads were among the earliest transmitters of meaning,” the artist Anni Albers wrote in 1965. Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction reveals the links between this art form and abstraction. Incorporating basketry, apparel, and more than a century of other textile works that challenge accepted divisions between fine art and craft, this exhibition broadens the story of abstraction, suggesting that not only ideas but materials—like woven, knotted, and braided fabric—are crucial to its understanding and success. Spanning early-20th-century works by Sonia Delaunay, Hannah Hoch, and Sophie Taeuber-Arp, whose textile practices parallel their painting and drawing, mid-century works by Albers and Ed Rossbach, and contemporary works by Rosemarie Trockel, Andrea Zittel, and Igshaan Adams, this exhibition brings together more than 150 diverse, interdisciplinary objects. Highlighting issues of labor and identity that are intertwined with modern textile production, Woven Histories argues that weaving and textiles are the quintessential link between lived experience and art.

The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) opened New York City’s original underground subway line in October 1904. While the city was one of the most diverse in the country, before the introduction of the subway, most New Yorkers were not in regular contact with people outside their own neighborhoods. Initially extending from the Bronx to Lower Manhattan (with service to Brooklyn beginning in 1908) and forming part of the wider transit system, the convenient and affordable IRT encouraged riders to travel beyond their communities for both work and leisure. In order to entice people to regularly use the subway, the IRT printed two in-car poster campaigns, The Elevated Express and The Subway Sun, that highlighted each borough’s unique attractions. Of these, The Subway Sun was especially successful.

This spring, the presentation of late works by French avant-garde artist Francis Picabia (1879 – 1953) travels from Hauser & Wirth’s Paris gallery to 22nd Street in New York. Organized in collaboration with Comité Picabia, and co-curated by its President, Beverley Calté, and art historian Arnauld Pierre, ‘Eternal Beginning’ is the first major exhibition to focus on Picabia’s compelling final period. It features close to 30 paintings created by Picabia between 1945—when he returned to Paris from the South of France—and 1952, the penultimate year of his life. As a complement to the exhibition, Hauser & Wirth Publishers has released a catalogue with fresh scholarship in both English and French on Picabia’s late work.

Opening May 2, BANK NYC is pleased to present Tracing Infinity, a luminous exhibition of gouache and pastel works by the late Ching Ho Cheng (1946-1989). Using Cheng’s series of window light works as a catalyst, this presentation focuses on a specific transitional moment in the artist's oeuvre, tracing his evolution from highly detailed compositions to complete minimalism, characterized by subtle patches of color and light. This special exhibition marks the artist’s first solo exhibition after BANK’s celebrated presentation at Art Basel Miami in 2023. It also precedes Cheng’s inclusion in Sixties Surreal at the Whitney Museum in Fall 2025 and his upcoming traveling retrospective, Ching Ho Cheng: The Light Will Continue, which will originate at the Addison Gallery of American Art in early 2027. This will be Cheng’s first major institutional retrospective, which fervently reconsiders this Asian American artist's often overlooked life and body of work. It will also be accompanied by a monograph published in collaboration with Visual AIDS. On May 13, 2025, BANK NYC will host a public talk discussing the artist’s life and legacy with Sybao Cheng-Wilson, Director of the Ching Ho Cheng Estate, Gordon Wilkins, Robert M. Walker Curator of American Art at the Addison Gallery of American Art, and Kyle Croft, Executive Director of Visual AIDS.

For Rosa Barba, cinema “allows time and space to vibrate, collapse, overlap, and extend.” Barba’s conceptual explorations of film probe historical records, personal narratives, and the sensory experience of celluloid, often by documenting natural landscapes and human-made changes to the environment. This installation spans 15 years of Barba’s work, featuring film, kinetic sculpture, and sound. A newly commissioned work, Charge, forms the core of the installation and examines light as a source of ecological change and scientific innovation. Accompanying these works is a series of performances conceived by Barba as an “exploded poem.” In each event, the sonic frequencies of percussionist Chad Taylor, vocalist Alicia Hall Moran, and artist Rosa Barba will activate a symphony of images throughout the installation.

Invitations are in the mail for our next show “Jean Hannon | A Retrospective in Oil, Ink, & Watercolor”. Featured here is an enigmatic portrait of Hannon by Cecil Beaton and her drawing, “Wandering Dromedary,” from the 1960s. The artist first showed these animal studies at the Alexander Iolas Gallery and later at Pamela Hayward’s New York outpost of Jansen. Lions, camels and so much more will be on view and for sale May 8 through June 12.

David Zwirner is pleased to present an exhibition of new works by Kenyan-British artist Michael Armitage (b. 1984) as the opening exhibition of the gallery’s new building at 533 West 19th Street in Chelsea. This is Hermitage’s first solo exhibition since signing with David Zwirner in 2022, and his first solo exhibition in New York since Project 110: Michael Armitage, curated by the Studio Museum in Harlem and held at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 2019. The exhibition presents new paintings and woodcuts by the artist.

Timothy Taylor mounts a solo exhibition of new paintings by British figurative painter Antonia Showering at its New York gallery this spring. Showering is known for her enigmatic, psychologically fraught paintings with single or coupled subjects set against hazy mountain ranges or in scenes of aqueous, ambiguous domesticity. This presentation marks the artist’s second solo exhibition with the gallery and her first in New York.

Almine Rech - New York | Tribeca is pleased to present artist Heinz Mack’s first solo exhibition with the gallery, From ZERO until Today. The exhibition opens on May 9, 2025 and will run through June 14.

This exhibition features works created by students participating in Learning Through Art (LTA), the Guggenheim’s artist-in-residence program in New York City public elementary schools. LTA partners teaching artists with classroom educators in each of the city’s five boroughs to design projects that explore art and ideas related to the classroom curriculum. The program fosters curiosity, critical thinking, and ongoing collaborative investigation.

The Department of Drawings and Prints boasts more than one million drawings, prints, and illustrated books made in Europe and the Americas from around 1400 to the present day. Because of their number and sensitivity to light, the works can only be exhibited for a limited period. To highlight the vast range of works on paper, the department organizes four rotations a year in the Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. Gallery. Each installation is the product of a collaboration among curators and consists of up to 100 objects grouped by artist, technique, style, period, or subject.

The Coney Island History Project will open for the season on May 24th with new exhibits by Charles Denson and Amanda Deutch. Coney Island Streets: 1965–1975 and Brooklyn Wilds combine street photography, cyanotypes, native plants, and poetry to explore the natural and urban sides of Coney Island that are not well known. Through the medium of photography, both shows complement each other by exploring the complexity of this New York City neighborhood. With this exhibit, we are introducing our new Wonder Gallery, a collaboration between Charles Denson and Amanda Deutch. More info on our website. Link in bio.

Arresting Beauty: Julia Margaret Cameron explores the path-breaking career of photography’s first widely recognized artist. Cameron (1815–1879) was born in Calcutta to a French mother and an English father; in 1848, with her husband and children, she moved to England, where her sisters introduced her to the elite cultural circles in which they traveled. Residing on the Isle of Wight, where she was close neighbors with the poet Alfred Tennyson, Cameron acquired her first camera at age 48. In only eleven years she would create thousands of exposures and leave an enduring image of the Victorian era as an age of intellectual and spiritual ambition. Her own prodigious drive helped Cameron become a probing portraitist of leading figures such as Tennyson, Thomas Carlyle, G.F. Watts, and Charles Darwin, while her absorption with fine art, notably Renaissance painting, led her to create staged tableaux in a mode that has been perpetually rediscovered by photographers down to the present. Most distinct of all was Cameron’s wholly personal handling of her medium. Heedless of a large camera’s technical limitations, alert to the happy effects of accident, and indifferent to critical scorn, she embraced a style of spontaneous intimacy that distanced her from the photographic establishment of her time and class. Motion blur, highly selective focus, and even fingerprints on the glass negatives (which required developing before their emulsions dried) are among the idiosyncrasies of her singular oeuvre. Cameron was quick to exploit publishing and promotional opportunities: at London’s South Kensington Museum (today the Victoria & Albert Museum) she secured not only an exhibition in 1865 but, a few years later, studio space, and she was the first photographic artist to be collected by the institution. Arresting Beauty features prints from its initial purchase and from subsequent additions to its holdings, which have grown to number nearly one thousand. The exhibition includes Cameron’s large if optically primitive lens (all that survives of her apparatus), pages from her memoir manuscript Annals of My Glass House, and portraits she made in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) after Cameron and her husband moved there in 1875.

Get ready for fashion’s biggest night of the year — Met Gala 2025 is making its grand return on May 5 at the iconic Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City! Known as the “Oscars of fashion,” this exclusive event brings together the world’s most influential designers, celebrities, and cultural icons for a night where art, identity, and style collide. This year’s theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” shines a spotlight on the elegance, resilience, and creativity of Black dandyism — from its historical roots in 18th-century tailoring to its bold influence on today’s streetwear and haute couture. Over 30 groundbreaking designers will be featured, including Virgil Abloh, Grace Wales Bonner, and Olivier Rousteing, alongside curated photography, portraits, and fashion pieces that tell a powerful story of self-expression and cultural pride. Expect the red carpet to be more dazzling than ever, with stars like Rihanna, Zendaya, A$AP Rocky, and Pharrell Williams anticipated to make show-stopping appearances. This year’s co-chairs include Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, and LeBron James — a lineup that speaks volumes about the intersection of fashion, identity, and impact. Met Gala 2025 isn’t just a glamorous event — it’s a cultural moment. Whether you’re a fashion devotee, a culture lover, or simply curious about the stories behind the style, this year’s gala and exhibition promise a deeply meaningful experience. The exhibit will be open to the public from May 10 through October 26, inviting visitors from around the globe to explore a beautifully curated journey through fashion and history. Planning your trip to New York for Met Gala 2025? Stay tuned with Trip.com for the latest updates on tickets, travel tips, and everything you need to experience this unforgettable celebration of art and elegance.

Experience the magic of a magical evening at our Loy Krathong Festival! Join us as we gather at the water's edge to celebrate love, hopes and dreams, all illuminated by the soft glow of floating lanterns.

MAY 22nd - 25th 2025 Memorial Day Weekend BOOK NOW:New York Hilton Midtown1335 6th Ave. New York, NY 10019 About us/ Come to the heart of New York and experience the Mecca of Salsa! BIGNY is dedicated to bringing you the best New York Latin Dance Experience. We bring our attendees the best instructors from all around the world and locally to showcase and teach their talents. Brace yourselves for amazing performances, the best Salsa and Bachata DJs from around the world, and get ready to dance the night away in the heart of New York City! -Salsa Room -Bachata Room -Social dancing -Workshops -Over 40 BIG confirmed artists -World & locally renowned DJS -LOCATION, LOCATION,LOCATION! -Located at The Hilton Midtown Hotel! Walking distance from Central Park, Times Square, 5th ave, and so much more! Confirmed Artists: TBD Book Here:10% off Use Discount Code BIG https://www.bigsalsafestival.com/newyork Information Source: BIG Salsa Festival | eventbrite

World's Greatest Tattoo Art Festival May 9th-11th 2025 at the NYC Midtown Manhattan. Meet & get tattooed by world famous tattoo artists, meet Inkmaster artists as seen on TV, shop unique fashion, jewelry & art, see burlesque performances, take seminars and enjoy live entertainment by Coney Island Sideshow Circus, plus lots more! Take part in giveaways and tattoo contests; shop, meet new friends..have fun. Watch world renowned tattoo artists & painters from around the world gather to create tattoo art so incredible, you have to see to believe it..plus get tattooed yourself. Vendors & sponsors include Maluma's Contraluz Cristalino Mezcal, Mexico’s first company that produces cristalino mezcal, World Famous Tattoo Supply, Hustle Butter Deluxe, FK Irons, Bishop Rotary, Cam Supply, Gorilla Gloves, Tatu Derm and More The NY Empire State Tattoo Expo Presented by Allegory Ink will take place at the NYC Midtown Hilton, Hosted by Stefano Alcantra, Megan Massacre & Yomico. Children 12 and under are free admission. The NYC Tattoo Convention, the NY Empire State Tattoo Expo Opens Friday May 9th at 4pm, open til midnite Saturday May 10th opens 12pm to midnite Sunday May 11th opens 12pm to 7pm See You There! Information Source: NY Empire State Tattoo Expo | eventbrite

Spring hasn't truly sprung until the Macy's Flower Show opens in midtown. This beautiful (and free!) show at Macy's Herald Square is beloved by locals and visitors. It joins the New York Botanical Garden's Orchid Show and Central Park's cherry blossoms as must-visits for springtime floral fans.

The annual tasting event returns to City Winery in 2025! We’re thrilled to host this special evening for the WSJ Wine community. You’ll sip and sample your way through over 60 wines, all while chatting with our most-loved winemakers from Tuscany, Bordeaux, California and beyond. Our tastings are known for their relaxed, cocktail party atmosphere. Taste at your own pace with friends, meet the experts and enjoy exclusive discounts on the wines you try. Join us on May 30, 2025 from 6-9pm at City Winery—located in Pier 57 at Hudson River Park. Here’s what you can look forward to: • Taste over 60 wines —including premium selections from our inner cellar. • Meet and mingle with exciting producers like California’s iconic Boisset Collection, Rioja’s famed Altos de la Guardia estate, Tuscany’s Paolo and Annarita Masi and France's legendary Jean-Marc Diffonty. • NEW highlights this year include Greek wines, Wines Across America, the official JETS Sonoma Cabernet and an Italian fine wine table. • Enjoy light snacks such as cheese, charcuterie and desserts. • The dynamic teams from Château La Clarière in Bordeaux and RedHeads in Australia will also be on-hand, pouring their beloved boutique wines. • NEW expanded Vineyard Partner lounge. We’ll uncork special releases, offer light bites and have a few additional surprises. New location this year! The VP lounge has moved from the main stage to the waterfront terrace directly outside the event space, giving you beautiful views of the Hudson River. • Our in-house wine experts will be floating around all evening to answer your questions. • Enjoy 20% off and free shipping on any wine order (of 12+ bottles) placed at the event. (Advantage members get an additional $20 discount on wine orders.) With beautiful views, world-class wines and great company, there’s no better way to spend an evening in the city. See you there! Please note, this is a private tasting event. Tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be available at the door. Must be 21+ to attend this event. Attendees can receive refunds up to 7 days prior to the day of the event (Eventbrite fees are nonrefundable). By attending this event, you agree to be photographed and/or filmed and give permission to use your likeness in promotional and/or marketing materials. Information Source: WSJ Wine | eventbrite

A look at the future of Quantitative Finance! QuantVision 2025: Fordham's Quantitative Conference Agenda Information Source: Fordham University MQF Conference QuantVision 2025 | eventbrite

Information Source: Wall Street Rocks | eventbrite