Featured Events in New York in November 2025 (August Updated)

Between Latitude and Longitude constitutes the inaugural exhibition in the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing’s in-focus gallery, part of the complete major reenvisioning of The Met collection of African art. In celebration of the initiative, an artistic landmark work by Senegalese Modernist Iba Ndiaye (1928–2008), Tabaski, a gift to The Met, is being ushered into the collection. Since the 1982 opening of the Rockefeller Wing, a canon of African Modernist painting has taken shape, and Ndiaye emerges consistently as a foundational figure of international importance, yet his contributions remain largely unknown outside Senegal.

Ceramic artists in Europe at the turn of the century sought to break from the past by developing new, distinctive modes of making. With a renewed interest in the natural world as a source of artistic inspiration, they experimented with decoration, forms, and ideas to make their art modern. Making It Modern: European Ceramics from the Martin Eidelberg Collection celebrates Dr. Martin Eidelberg’s gift to The Met of approximately 80 ceramic works dating from the 1880s to 1910s. Although the years in which the Eidelberg ceramics were produced coincided with the emergence of the popular Art Nouveau movement in which artists brought abstracted forms from nature into their work, few of these pieces align closely with the common conception of that style. Instead, these ceramics reflect the desire for individual artistic expression and the enormous creativity that make this period such a rich chapter in European ceramic history.

Born in Chippewa City, a remote Native American village on the shore of Lake Superior in northern Minnesota, George Morrison (Wah-wah-ta-ga-nah-gah-boo and Gwe-ki-ge-nah-gah-boo, Grand Portage Chippewa, 1919–2000) overcame innumerable challenges—poverty, a life-threatening childhood illness, social isolation, racial and cultural barriers—to become a leader of the Expressionist movement, which he collaboratively Abstract defined both publicly and behind the scenes. Morrison’s influence as an abstract expressionist painter began in 1943 when he traveled from rural Minnesota to New York City to study at the Art Students League on a scholarship. Immersing himself in the city’s vibrant cultural scenes, he studied painting and drawing, contributed to numerous exhibitions and publications, and openly challenged the mainstream art establishment of his generation.

Casa Susanna brings together photographs and publications created by and for a community of cross-dressers who met regularly in New York City and the Catskill Mountains throughout the 1960s. Two modest resorts run by Susanna Valenti and her wife, Marie Tornell, provided safe spaces for guests to freely cross-dress en femme during an era of strictly defined gender roles. They used the camera to create and affirm their femme identities, exchanging photographs at gatherings or sharing them by mail. These snapshots—some candid, others playfully performative—were rediscovered at a Manhattan flea market in 2004 and have come to be known as the Casa Susanna photographs. The exhibition also features issues of Transvestia, an underground magazine that published the photographs along with fiction, poetry, makeup and clothing advice, and autobiographical essays by members of the community.

Robert Rauschenberg’s artistic practice revolved around integrating “the real world” into his art, famously stating, “I want a picture to look like something it is.” This vision led him to incorporate found objects and photographs—ranging from taxidermized animals to newspaper clippings – into his work. In 2025, the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) will celebrate Rauschenberg’s centennial with Robert Rauschenberg’s New York: Pictures from the Real World, an exhibition that explores Rauschenberg’s complex relationship with photography, particularly in the context of New York City. The exhibition will feature three sections: “Early Photographs,” “In + Out City Limits / New York,” and “Photography in Painting”. An interactive collage component invites visitors to engage with Rauschenberg’s innovative image-making approach. The show is complemented by a companion book published by MCNY and Giles Ltd.

For over six decades, the American artist John Wilson (1922–2015) made powerful and poetic works that reflected his life as a Black American artist and his ongoing quest for racial, social, and economic justice. Wilson's art reflected and responded to the turbulent times in which he lived. His subjects included racial violence, labor, the writings of Richard Wright, the Civil Rights Movement, street scenes, and intimate images of family life, with a particular focus on fatherhood. Despite the power of his art and the continuing relevance of the themes he explored, Wilson’s work has not received the recognition it deserves.

Sixties Surreal is an ambitious survey reimagining American art from “the long 1960s” (1958–72), encompassing the work of more than 100 artists. Spanning painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, prints, film and video, and large-scale installation, this revisionist exhibition looks at the ways artists took permission from Surrealism to explore fundamental and underrecognized aesthetic currents, including psychosexual, fantastical, and revolutionary tendencies. Sixties Surreal recontextualizes some of the decade’s best-known figures alongside those only recently rediscovered. The exhibition gathers a range of works by artists including Diane Arbus, Lee Bontecou, Franklin Williams, Nancy Grossman, David Hammons, Linda Lomahaftewa, Mel Casas, Yayoi Kusama, Romare Bearden, and Louise Bourgeois, among others. In the 60s, many of these artists sought new strategies for connecting art back to a lived reality that seemed increasingly unreal due to rapid postwar transformation and the social, political, and technological upheavals of the later part of the decade. Organized thematically, Sixties Surreal offers a sweeping panorama of the era, juxtaposing contexts and forging new linkages across different communities and ideologies from the East Coast to the West. The exhibition will be accompanied by an illustrated catalogue structured chronologically from 1958 to 1972.

With its enchanting setting and spellbinding score, the world’s popular opera is as timeless as it is heartbreaking. Franco Zeffirelli’s picture-perfect production brings 19th-century Paris to the Met stage as Puccini’s young friends and lovers navigate the joy and struggle of bohemian life. Sopranos Juliana Grigoryan, Angel Blue, and Aleksandra Kurzak trade off as the feeble seamstress Mimì, opposite tenors Freddie De Tommaso, Stephen Costello, Adam Smith, and Long Long as the ardent poet Rodolfo.

The annual art fair organized by the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) is one of the oldest art fairs in New York. The fair brings together top galleries from all over the United States to showcase a wide range of works from classic modern art to the latest contemporary art. Founded in 1962, ADAA is a non-profit membership organization that aims to support the economic and cultural contributions of leading galleries in the United States, and its members play an important role in the art market and cultural community.

Bringing live performance by the best contemporary artists in the world to audiences everywhere.

Gabriele Münter was a key figure in the development of modern art in Europe during the early twentieth century. At the time, Germany’s public art schools excluded women, so she forged her own path. She became a leading figure in the avant-garde art scene in Munich and nearby Murnau, notably contributing to the formation of The Blue Rider (Der Blaue Reiter). This loose and transnational affiliation of visionary artists, writers, and musicians explored how color and form could express deep emotions and spiritual ideas. During World War I, Münter spent time in Scandinavia, prompting a rich exchange with Nordic modernisms and shifts in her artistic style. With her bold planes of vibrant colors, Münter reimagined the traditional genres of still life, landscape, and portraiture. Her disruptive practice offered an alternative to the emerging innovations in abstract art that de-emphasized recognizable forms. This landmark exhibition focuses on the years 1908 to 1920, while also underscoring through later works the artist’s sustained drive to experiment and adapt. It will feature sixty paintings and eighteen photographs across three Tower galleries, illuminating Münter’s groundbreaking and overlooked contributions to modern art. This exhibition is organized by Megan Fontanella, Curator, Modern Art and Provenance. The photography selection is curated with Victoria Horrocks, Curatorial Fellow, Photography.

A large art project called Day's End now stands in the Hudson River near Pier 52. Created by David Hammond, it's made of slender steel pipes and pays tribute to artist Gordon Matta-Clark, who transformed an abandoned shed on the same pier in 1975. The sculpture changes with the light, connecting to the history of the waterfront as a shipping hub and a gathering place for the gay community. It took seven years to complete the installation, and it's now open to the public for free. The Whitney Museum collaborated with the Hudson River Park Trust on this project, and they will work together on a maintenance plan. To celebrate its completion, the Whitney offers free admission on May 16, and there will be family workshops throughout the day. You can find Day's End at Hudson River Park, across from the Whitney Museum, on the southern edge of the new Gansevoort Peninsula, where it will remain permanently.

From a young age, acclaimed Pop artist David Hockney (British, b. 1937) cemented his reputation as one of the most innovative and experimental artists of his generation. Hockney/Origins: Early Works from the Roy B. and Edith J. Simpson Collection examines the early period of Hockney’s career in depth, from his time as a student at the Royal College of Art in London during the early 1960s to his formative years in the 1970s.

The traditional East Asian lunar calendar consists of a repeating twelve-year cycle, with each year corresponding to one of the twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac. The association of these creatures with the Chinese calendar began in the third century BCE and became firmly established by the first century CE. The twelve animals are, in sequence: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Each is believed to embody certain traits that are manifested in the personalities of people born in that year. January 29, 2025, marks the beginning of the Year of the Snake, a creature characterized as alert, calm, and smart.

“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.

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

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.

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.

Melissa Joseph has risen to prominence in recent years. Since being featured in Artsy Vanguard last year, her work has been shown at Charles Moffett Gallery’s booth at Art Basel Miami and at Public Gallery in London, and she recently won the Brooklyn Museum’s UOVO Award, a prize for Brooklyn artists. This summer, Joseph will exhibit a site-specific installation inspired by Renaissance imagery outside the Brooklyn Museum. Throughout the summer, reproductions of Joseph’s soft, needle-felt portraits will be on display in the museum’s outdoor plaza. Depicting heartwarming moments between friends and family, these works highlight the important role public art plays in fostering human connection. Blow-up photographs capture details of the blurred fibers in the portraits and the materials they are made of—wool, recycled sari, and industrial felt. The vinyl drawings will wrap around the piazza steps in a hexagonal pattern inspired by the floor patterns Joseph saw while visiting Santa Maria Assunta in Siena, Italy, as a student.

“German Masterworks from the Neue Galerie” features highlights from the museum’s extensive collection of German art from the period 1890 to 1940.

A mother. A daughter. Three possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget! Mamma Mia! , the worldwide musical phenomenon, comes home to Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre for a special limited return engagement beginning August 2nd. The international musical sensation that has kept audiences dancing in the aisles for 25 years. Mamma Mia! is the Broadway getaway that audiences can’t wait to escape to, and August it returns to the Winter Garden Theatre for a special limited engagement.

For the past three decades, artist, musician, and composer Stephen Prina has developed a singular and irreverent approach to installations, films, and musical performances. Prina frequently mixes disparate cultural references—Joni Mitchell songs, Robert Bresson films, Glenn Gould recordings, Édouard Manet paintings—presenting them in various exhibition contexts to surface new meanings and associations.

For the 2025 Genesis Facade Commission, Jeffrey Gibson (born 1972, Colorado Springs, Colorado), a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and of Cherokee descent, will create four figurative sculptures—works that he refers to as ancestral spirit figures Gibson’s project for The Met’s Fifth Avenue facade will be the sixth in a series of commissions for the historic exterior. The artist’s new works for the niches will draw upon his longstanding and highly developed iconography, one built upon a dynamic visual language that fuses Indigenous identity and imagery with abstraction, patterning, materiality, and text. An interdisciplinary artist who grew up in the United States, Germany, and Korea, Gibson’s expansive body of work ranges from hard-edged abstract works to a rich practice of performance and filmmaking to significant work as artist convener and curator. Since the 2000s, Gibson’s work—which incorporates Indigenous identity and imagery—has consistently reimagined new possibilities for abstraction, the use of text, and queer culture, interconnecting these formal and conceptual interests. Notably, Gibson’s work has introduced a broad range of recurring Indigenous sources, material elements, and imagery while regularly offering a critique of the reductive ways in which Indigenous culture has been historically flattened and misappropriated.

This fall, MoMA PS1 will present a major exhibition of artist Ayoung Kim (Korean, b. 1979), featuring a suite of video installations throughout the museum’s expansive third-floor galleries. On view November 6, 2025 through March 16, 2026, the presentation marks the first time all three works from Kim’s celebrated Delivery Dancer trilogy are shown together, alongside the US debut of a major new project. Recognized as an artist on the vanguard of digital innovation, Kim uses generative AI, videogame engines, and live-action footage to create speculative narratives that collide geopolitics, synthesize mythologies, and interrogate technologies. Seen together, her works examine the evolving relationships between data, human beings, and the environment to surface connections between biopolitics, queerness, and xenophobia.