New York's Must-See Holiday Art Exhibitions: Lam, Schjerfbeck, Man Ray, Asawa, Münter, Manzoni
New York museums present a slate of major exhibitions over the Christmas holidays. At MoMA, "Wifredo Lam: When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream" (Nov 10, 2025 – Apr 11, 2026) is the first large US survey of the Cuban modernist, featuring over 100 works including "La Jungle" and "La Silla". The Metropolitan Museum of Art hosts two shows: "Seeing Silence: The Paintings of Helene Schjerfbeck" (Dec 5, 2025 – Apr 5, 2026), the first US retrospective of the Nordic modernist with 60 paintings from Finnish and private collections; and "Man Ray: When Objects Dream" (Nov 7, 2025 – Mar 2, 2026), focusing on his three-dimensional and photographic works, including rayographs. MoMA also presents "Ruth Asawa: A Retrospective" (Oct 19, 2025 – Feb 7, 2026), organized with SFMOMA, covering her wire sculptures and community work. The Guggenheim Museum offers "Gabriele Münter: Contours of a World" (Nov 7, 2025 – Apr 26, 2026), the first major US retrospective in 30 years, with 60 paintings and 19 photographs, many never shown in the US, curated by Megan Fontanella and Victoria Horrocks. At Magazzino Italian Art, "Piero Manzoni: Total Space" (Sep 8, 2025 – Mar 23, 2026) features two immersive environments—"Stanza pelosa" and "Stanza fosforescente"—realized posthumously in 2019 by Rosalia Pasqualino di Marineo and architect Stephanie Goto, along with a copy of "Base magica".
Key facts
- MoMA hosts first major US survey of Wifredo Lam, with over 100 works, including La Jungle and La Silla.
- MET presents first US retrospective of Helene Schjerfbeck, with 60 paintings from Finnish and private collections.
- Man Ray exhibition at MET explores rayographs and his transformation of everyday objects.
- Ruth Asawa retrospective at MoMA includes over 100 works, co-organized with SFMOMA.
- Gabriele Münter retrospective at Guggenheim features 60 paintings and 19 photographs, many never exhibited in the US.
- Piero Manzoni exhibition at Magazzino Italian Art includes two immersive environments realized posthumously in 2019.
- Manzoni's Base magica (1961) is included, allowing visitors to become sculptures.
- All exhibitions are in New York City, spanning MoMA, MET, Guggenheim, and Magazzino Italian Art.
Entities
Artists
- Wifredo Lam
- Helene Schjerfbeck
- Man Ray
- Ruth Asawa
- Gabriele Münter
- Piero Manzoni
- Josef Albers
- Wassily Kandinsky
- Stephanie Goto
- Megan Fontanella
- Victoria Horrocks
- Nicola Lucchi
- Rosalia Pasqualino di Marineo
Institutions
- MoMA
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Guggenheim Museum
- Magazzino Italian Art
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- Hauser & Wirth
- Fondazione Piero Manzoni
- Artribune
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Finland
- Cuba
- Germany
- Japan
- Italy
- Soncino
- Milan
- Los Angeles
- San Francisco
- Dyker Heights
- Rockefeller Center
- Bryant Park