New York: Best of 2025
Our favorite shows in the city all year, and the events we’ll be attending this week.
In case the weather didn't clue you in, it's that time again — the season of year-end lists! From Amy Sherald and Caspar David Friedrich's very different takes on the sublime to the art historical interventions of Deborah Kass and Alexis Rockman to the imagined worlds of Kelly Sinnapah Mary and Madalena Santos Reinbolt, we've rounded up more than 30 of our favorite shows of 2025. (I'm partial, I have to admit, to that giant pigeon on the High Line.)
View our list of the best exhibitions in New York City this year.
Let us know what you think in the comments. Nothing like some heated debate to warm up in 20-degree temperatures.
From Our Critics
Clara Maria Apostolatos
Wifredo Lam: When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream at the Museum of Modern Art
"The show reads as a corrective — an institutional acknowledgement that Lam’s work cannot be understood outside the contexts of diaspora, colonial history, and cultural negotiation that the museum itself once avoided."
Hakim Bishara
Katherine Bradford: Communal Table at Canada Gallery
"Moons cycle, suns go up and down, waves rise and crash. Fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, and friends and foes swim, fly, float, deliberate, commune, and cope."
Natalie Haddad
Voice of Space: UFOs and Paranormal Phenomena at the Drawing Center
"By combining concepts that are overlapping but distinct — extraterrestrial life and paranormal phenomena — it dilutes both, and it doesn’t commit enough to the captivating weirdness of either."
John Yau
Judy Pfaff: Light Years at Cristin Tierney
"Pfaff’s bricolage approach combines surgical precision with Surrealist chance."
What Else Is Happening?
- In the spirit of the holidays, MoMA PS1's got some giving news — free admission from 2026 to 2028! All eyes may be on museums racing to open new spaces, but I prefer the race between New York institutions to give out free tickets.
- I braved the cold first thing this morning to attend the Joan Semmel press preview at the Jewish Museum, which opens to the public this Friday. It's a jewel-box of a show, with the colors to match. Plus, I just love when artists curate, and her eclectic choices will deepen your understanding of her work. Finally, Semmel will be in conversation with curator Rebecca Shaykin at the museum on Thursday. (Dec 11) [thejewishmuseum.org]
- You've only got a couple days left to see artist Raúl de Nieves's luminous show at Pioneer Works — in it, you'll find death, life, faith, hope, and more. Read AX Mina's review.
- There'll be a talk about the legendary Long Island printshop Universal Limited Art Editions at Hauser & Wirth tonight. (Tues Dec 9) [hauserwirth.com]
- MTA Arts & Design is holding a public art symposium tomorrow. (Wed Dec 10) [eventbrite.com]
- Artist Leslie Hewitt's giving a talk/ tour on the Rauschenberg show at the Museum of the City of New York! Perfect time to swing by Gingerbread NYC: The Great Borough Bake Off, too. (Wed Dec 10) [mcny.org]
- Wave Hill is hosting a Winter Discovery Night for kids, with hands-on events and hot cocoa. (Thurs Dec 11) [wavehill.org]
- Come look for weird ducks with the NYC Queer Birders Society! (Sat Dec 13) [instagram.com]
- Storefront for Art & Architecture's Book Bash is back this weekend, featuring our very own Jasmine Weber and many other delights of independent publishing! (Sat Dec 13–Sun Dec 14) [storefront.nyc]
- The Tenement Museum's hosting culinary historian Sarah Lohman for a conversation about Christmas cookies! Plus, of course, a tasting. (Through Fri Dec 19) [tenement.org]
- This year's Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden, with its 200 little landmark replicas, includes the Whitney Museum for the first time. (Through Jan 11) [nybg.org]
