- Larry Fink: Sensual Empathy
- Pat Steir Mirage 1975
- The Rose
- The Calling of Home
- Torkwase Dyson: Akua
- Edra Soto: Graft
- Tove Jansson and the Moomins: The Door Is Always Open
- Heatwave
- ‘Forma & Estetica’
- Rashid Johnson: ‘A Poem for Deep Thinkers’
- Amy Sherald: American Sublime
- Shining a light on The Subway Sun
- Songs of New York
- Pirouette
- Shifting Landscapes
- 'In the Shadow of the American Dream: David Wojnarowicz'
Hot and humid August has arrived marking the peak of summer. The month hosts summer Broadway productions, to the lively celebrations of Harlem Week (1 – 17 August). In addition to this, New York continues to host an eclectic assortment of exhibitions this August. At Center for Photography at Woodstock, discover Larry Fink’s varied photography in ‘Sensual Empathy’, to collages being used as a feminist practice in ‘The Rose’. Or enjoy public installations such as Torkwase Dyson’s pavilion at Brooklyn Park Bridge. . New York is a powerhouse of creativity – don't miss a thing with our monthly updated guide to the best exhibitions to see around the city.
Wanting a longer stay? See the Wallpaper* edit of New York's best design hotels.
The best New York art exhibitions: what to see this month
Larry Fink: Sensual Empathy
Center for Photography at Woodstock until 31 August 2025
Renowned photographer Larry Fink is celebrated in ‘Sensual Empathy’, curated by writer Lucy Sante. Known for his distinct style in capturing human spirit during social moments, his lens has captured all levels of society. Here, the exhibition includes his civil rights imagery, 1960s jazz, Manhattan’s nightlife to rural Pennsylvania.
Pat Steir Mirage 1975
Yancey Richardson until 15 August 2025
Mitch Epstein, Los Angeles II, California, 1974
To celebrate 30 years of Yancey Richardson gallery, this exhibition brings together works by all of the gallery’s artists and estates, including Mickalene Thomas, Zanele Muholi and David Alekhuogie to name a few. Over the past 30 years the gallery has presented nearly 290 exhibitions. The show highlights the diversity of the artists’ styles and approaches. The gallery has invited its artists to select work by their peers with whom they share creative affinities.
Hauser and Wirth Wooster Street until 15 August 2025
A pioneer of contemporary painting Pat Steir is an American painter and printmaker who came to prominence in the late 1970s for her immersive drawings. Her work includes drawing directly on walls to create immersive installations. ‘Mirage 1975’ is an adaptation of her first installation which explored colour and lines.
The Rose
Center for Photography at Woodstock until 31 August
In its second iteration, (it was originally conceived for a show at The Lumber Room in Portland in 2023) 'The Rose' examines the work of over 50 artists from 1960 through to today using collage as a feminist practice, a potent protest tool and corrective process. The collage material varies from family photographs, to textiles and archival materials.
The Calling of Home
Tina Kim Gallery until 6 September 2025
'The Calling of Home' is a group exhibition that is rooted in belonging. It draws from fact, fiction, history and mythology, personal stories and imagined figures. Each piece is cohesive, yet the artist's overlapping geographies explore how the notion of ‘home’ is shaped. The exhibition brings together four artists: Cheong See Min, Marcos Kueh, Jennifer Tee, and Khairulddin Wahab. Each individual explores ideas of identity and migration beyond Southeast Asia.
Torkwase Dyson: Akua
Brooklyn Bridge Park until 8 March 2026
Akua is a public pavilion that has been open since May this year, and in the peak of summer it is a calming space to sit and enjoy the sun and offers a moment of introspection. Entering the pavilion, recorded sounds play across eight speakers varying from recordings of fields to conversations from Black archives. This layered composition encourages the visitor to reflect on the moments of silence between words, and how this can ignite contemplation and imagination.
Edra Soto: Graft
Doris C. Freedman Plaza until 24 August 2025
It is the last month to see Puerto Rican artist Edra Soto’s public installation in Doris C. Freedman Plaza. Titled ‘Graft’ the work is the latest in a series of installations, and is a monument to working class Puerto Rican communities. Made from corten steel and terrazzo, the design is based on wrought iron screens seen outside homes in Puerto Rico. Through geometry and motifs Soto unites West Africa with Spanish architecture, and explores how Puerto Rican cultural memory often masks the Black heritage of the island as folklore.
Tove Jansson and the Moomins: The Door Is Always Open
Brooklyn Public Library until September 30, 2025
Making its US debut, the playful cartoon characters known as Moomins take over the Brooklyn Public Library in a new exhibition. Finnish artist Tove Jansson is one of Scandinavia’s most celebrated cultural figures, whose distinct characters echo a similar charm and popularity of Miffy, and Snoopy. Jansson’s first Moomin story was The Moomins and the Great Flood in 1945, which opened a whole world of playful creatures who live in Moominvalley. The characters explore themes of adventure, nature, friendship and courage.
Read the full review here
Heatwave
Edwynn Houk Gallery until 8 August
‘Heatwave’ is a group exhibition that explores heat and its impact on people throughout generations. It moves beyond climate and temperature, and focuses on its physical effects. From urban summers, to the breezy countryside, the exhibition unites works by Lillian Bassman, Elliott Erwitt, Lalla Essaydi, Robert Heinecken, Sally Mann, Joel Meyerowitz, Abelardo Morell, Erwin Olaf, and Herb Ritts.
‘Forma & Estetica’
Carpenters Workshop Gallery until 16 August
The ‘Dondolo’ rocking chair was designed by the duo of architects Leonardi and Franca Stagi in the late 1960s.
Taking respite from conventional art exhibitions, it would be rude not to acknowledge ‘Forma & Estetica’, a new exhibition which explores contemporary Italian design. The exhibition features works by Vincenzo De Cotiis and Giacomo Ravagli alongside iconic 20th-century designers such as Gio Ponti, Gabriella Crespi, Emilio Lancia, Cesare Leonardi, Franca Stagi, Mario Gottardi, Studio BBPR, and Ico and Luisa Parisi. ‘Forma & Estetica’ explores the intersection of beauty and functionality and how this applies to industry and urbanisation.
Rashid Johnson: ‘A Poem for Deep Thinkers’
Guggenheim until 18 January 2026
Chicago-born artist Rashid Johnson presents his first major solo show which spans almost 90 works inspired by history, philosophy, literature and music. Exploring Johnson’s immersive contemporary works the exhibition features black-soap paintings and spray-painted text, to large scale sculptures, film and videos, highlighting the artist’s vast portfolio.
Amy Sherald: American Sublime
Whitney Museum of American Art until 10 August 2025
Georgia-born artist Amy Sherald crafts an intricate narrative of American life through a series of portraiture of ‘everyday’ Americans going about their daily lives. With a focus on Black Americans, she adds a compelling individuality, highlighting the extraordinary within the mundane, as the subjects go about their daily routine. Within the exhibition, she couples ‘ordinary’ Americans with notable figures such as Michelle Obama, adding to the layers of American identity.
Shining a light on The Subway Sun
New York Transit Museum, ongoing
Historically on the New York subway, posters advised and informed users, encouraging correct etiquette and manners. For 'Shining a light on The Subway Sun', posters designed by illustrators Fred G Cooper and Amelia Opdyke Jones are celebrated, with the exhibition showcasing more than 40 examples from the museum's collection of approximately 120 original poster artworks and more than 100 vintage posters, most produced between 1936 and 1965.
Songs of New York
Museum of the City of New York, ongoing
LL Cool J with Cut Creator, E-Love, and B-Rock, Janette Beckman (1950-), 1986, Museum of the City of New York, 2016
Featuring music from 100 artists, ‘Songs of New York’ explores a full range of genres that have influenced the city from the 1920s through to the present day. Different genres explore different locations, from subways to apartments, nightclubs to neighbourhoods in this immersive, interactive exhibition.
mcny.org
Pirouette
MoMA until 18 October
Milton Glaser. Mahalia Jackson (Poster for an Easter Sunday concert at Lincoln Center, New York). 1967
The Museum of Modern Art explores iconography, objects and design that have impacted everyday life. The aim of the exhibition is to showcase the power of design and how it translates the human experience into ‘tangible forms’. Visitors will see icons such as the ‘I ♥️ NY’ logo and Telfar’s Shopping Bag, dubbed the ‘Bushwick Birkin’. Other items include technology, from the cassette player to the Macintosh 128K Home Computer. The exhibition is a fun dose of nostalgia while also looking towards the future.
moma.org
Shifting Landscapes
Whitney Museum of American Art until January 2026
LaToya Ruby FrazierLandscape of the Body (Epilepsy Test), 2011
‘Shifting Landscapes’ is a group show exploring how evolving political, ecological, and social issues motivate artists as they attempt to represent the world around them. The works are drawn from the gallery’s collection, and span various environments, from cityscapes to rural landscapes, bringing ideas of land and place into focus, and considering how society is shaped by the spaces around us.
'In the Shadow of the American Dream: David Wojnarowicz'
The Museum of Modern Art, ongoing
Wojnarowicz's work has been recontextualised by MoMA, which has presented it alongside that of the artist's contemporaries from the 1980s New York downtown scene, including filmmaker Marion Scemama, Donald Moffett, Agosto Machado and painter Martin Wong. Important works here include Wojnarowicz's's 1987 Fire, while Machado’s Shrine is a moving time capsule of ephemera. It includes a ‘Justice for Marsha’ sign, referring to questions around the suspicious death of trans activist Marsha P Johnson in 1992, as well as club flyers and memorial service cards.
Writer: Lauren Cochrane
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'What does it mean that the language of photography is invented by men?' Justine Kurland explores the feminist potential of collage'The Rose,' at the Center for Photography at Woodstock (CPW) in Kingston, New York, examines the work of over 50 artists using collage as a feminist practice
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