New York art exhibitions to see in September

New York in September is the city at its best. The buzz of tourists quietens, milder temperatures replace the sticky heat of summer, and there is anticipation for autumn, which heralds events including New York Fashion Week. Meanwhile, NYC continues to present an eclectic assortment of art exhibitions. At Katonah Museum of Art, discover Leonora Carrington’s imaginative and surreal world of whimsical creatures, or explore Tomokazu Matsuyama’s contemporary works responding to an Edward Hopper painting. 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.

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The best New York art exhibitions: what to see this month

Leonora Carrington: Dream Weaver

Katonah Museum of Art until 5 October 2025

Surrealism is at the heart of this retrospective on Leonora Carrington’s (1917-2011) career. A pioneer in this art movement for over fifty years, she created landscapes which captured otherworldly creatures, inspired by folklore, mysticism, and the occult. This exhibition offers a look into rarely seen artworks, which have been loaned from private collections, and offers a moment of escapism and imagination.

katonahmuseum.org

Tomokazu Matsuyama: Morning Sun

Edward Hopper House until 5 October 2025

Contemporary Japanese-American artist Tomokazu Matsuyama offers a contemporary tribute to Edward Hopper’s 1952 painting ‘Morning Sun’. Matsuyama explores the complexities of solitude, life in a consumer-driven world and contemporary society. At the heart of the exhibition is the artist’s new large-scale painting ‘Morning Sun Dance’. ‘While Hopper’s Morning Sun captures a moment of introspective stillness within the psychological landscape of mid-century urban life, his treatment of solitude, light, and constructed space continues to influence my own approach to thinking about isolation as well as my approach to painting,’ says Matsuyama.

edwardhopperhouse.org

Aki+Arnaud Cooren: Under the Reef

Carpenters Workshop Gallery until 18 October 2025

Although this is less art and more design, it would be hard not to include Carpenters Workshop Gallery’ latest display of works by Aki+Arnaud Cooren. The multidisciplinary design studio is known for its serene and dreamy works inspired by the natural world. The exhibition features new pieces influenced by freediving experiences off the coast of Ishigaki island, southern Japan.

carpentersworkshopgallery.com

Synthetic Sanctuaries

The Foundation of Art NYC until 10 September 2025

‘Synthetic Sanctuaries’ is a group exhibition bringing together artists Song E Yoon, Beom Jun, and Rob Pruitt. Bringing together three distinct yet resonant artistic voices, the exhibition explores the concept of sanctuary through material, building on the notion that emotional fatigue is a frequent feeling day to day.

artnycnewyork.com

General Conditions

Jack Shainman Gallery until 29 November

'General Conditions' is a group exhibition bringing together work from over two dozen artists. The showcase offers a variety of media at different scales. The works are centred on the theme of the current social and political climate, raising a magnifying glass on how we respond individually and collectively.

jackshainman.com

The Campus Annual Exhibition

The Campus until 26 October 2025

Located 15 minutes from Hudson and 2.5 hours from Manhattan, The Campus, a former school complex in Claverack owned by five galleries, goes into its second year with its annual group exhibition. The diverse group of artists’ were asked to respond to the ‘spatial rhythm of the site and layer new meaning atop existing associations and touchstones.’ Spanning 35 rooms and the surrounding grounds thirty solo and duo installations anchor the show presenting a variety of ceramics, paintings, and photography.

bortolamigallery.com

Sonia Gomes: Ó Abre Alas!

Storm King Art Center until 10 November 2025

Afro-Brazilian artist Sonia Gomes is known for her tactile sculptural works which combine a trove of found objects, textiles and natural materials which have stories embedded into their forms. Drawing from Afro-Brazilian traditions and her personal history, Gomes' sculptures explore the complexities of memory, identity, and cultural heritage. The exhibition marks her first outdoor installation in the US, a web-like piece which drapes from the branches of trees. The artist says, ‘My work has a lot to do with nature, with trees, with the movement of trunks, with branches…. I like that my work has this conversation with nature.’

collections.stormking.org

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.

tinakimgallery.com

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.

publicartfund.org

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

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.

guggenheim.org

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.

nytransitmuseum.org

Songs of New York

Museum of the City of New York, ongoing

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

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

‘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.

whitney.org

'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

moma.org