5 Unique Art Exhibitions in NYC This Winter

Exploring New York City's Artistic Diversity

New York City, a melting pot of cultures and ideas, is home to an eclectic art scene that never ceases to amaze both locals and tourists alike. This winter, step off the beaten path and discover the diverse array of artistic expressions that NYC's hidden gems have to offer. 

From celebrating the legacy of the iconic dancer Alvin Ailey, to delving into abstract expressionism with John Opper, to a virtual exhibition on the vanished village of Seneca, now part of Central Park, and the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery's display of works by 18 female artists over 50 years, we hope you enjoy this artistic journey.

Celebrating Alvin Ailey at the Whitney Museum of American Art

This winter, the Whitney Museum of American Art pays tribute to the legendary Alvin Ailey,  with its groundbreaking exhibition, "Edges of Ailey." As the first large-scale museum exhibition dedicated to celebrating Ailey's enduring legacy, this showcase is both ambitious and inspiring. It features an impressive array of works by over eighty artists, alongside archival materials that chronicle Ailey's life and contributions to dance and culture.

The exhibition is presented in two parts: a visual journey through Ailey's life and influences displayed in the museum's expansive fifth-floor galleries, and a series of performances in the third-floor theater. These performances, which include AILEY in residence for one week each month, bring Ailey's choreography to life, offering an immersive experience that captures the visionary spirit of his work. "Edges of Ailey" is a celebration of creativity and resilience, reminding us of the profound impact that art can have on society.

For more information, click here.

Berry Campbell Gallery - In Focus: John Opper 

Explore the works of John Opper (1908-1994) at Berry Campbell, an artist renowned for his Abstract Expressionist style, characterized by large canvases featuring vertical bands of diverse widths that vibrate with intense and vibrant colors.

John Opper believed that art should transcend mere representation to evoke profound aesthetic experiences: "I think painting is concerned with painting... I think painting is an end in itself."

His association with notable artists like Milton Avery, Adolph Gottlieb, and Mark Rothko enriched his creative approach. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Opper balanced teaching positions across the United States with his artistic pursuits, eventually settling into the purely abstract style that won him critical acclaim.

John Opper, Color Series 8-71, 1971, acrylic on canvas, 56 x 70 in. (142.2 x 177.8 cm.)

Berry Campbell is now showcasing a special exhibition of John Opper's paintings. You'll encounter three remarkable works that represent three decades of his artistic journey. We believe it's not about the quantity of paintings on display, but rather about taking the time to immerse yourself in each piece and truly experience it, much like the select Rothko paintings at MoMA.

The artist stated in 1990: “I orchestrate color, line, and shape. My whole purpose is to produce an aesthetic response.” He held the conviction that “art is its own experience. It bespeaks a sublime relationship between the artist and his work.”

The exhibition opens on Saturday, January 4, 2025 and continues through February 1, 2025. 

 

Virtual exhibition at The MET: Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room

If it's really too cold outside, discover this virtual exhibition from The Met.

Like any of The Met’s period rooms, is a fabrication of a domestic space that assembles furnishings and objects to create a fiction of authenticity. Rather than affirm a fixed moment in time, however, this structure reimagines the immersive experience of the period room by embracing the African diasporic belief that the past, present, and future are interconnected.

This exhibition draws its narrative from the authentic history of Seneca Village, a lively community primarily established by free Black tenants and landowners that thrived from the 1820s to the 1850s, located just a few hundred yards west of The Met’s present location. In 1857, the City of New York destroyed the village to seize land for the construction of Central Park, displacing its residents and leaving only the barest traces of the community behind.

Acknowledging that injustice, the exhibition asks: What if this community had the opportunity to grow and thrive?

Powered by Afrofuturism—the inspirational, creative mode that centers Black imagination and self-determination—the exhibition transforms a 19th-century domestic interior into a speculative future home for Seneca Village residents, only one proposition for what might have been had the community been allowed to thrive into the present and beyond.

Check out the virtual tour below:

 

Michael Rosenfeld Gallery: 18 Women: 50 Years

The Michael Rosenfeld Gallery is currently featuring over forty works in painting, sculpture, collage, assemblage, ceramic, and textile produced between 1918 and 1968 by 18 female artists who's names are listed below:

Magdalena Abakanowicz	Nancy Grossman	Anne Ryan	Alma Thomas
Ruth Asawa	Blanche Lazzell	Betye Saar	Charmion von Wiegand
Mary Bauermeister	Louise Nevelson	Esphyr Slobodkina	Claire Zeisler
Lee Bontecou	Agnes Pelton	Toshiko Takaezu
Claire Falkenstein	Irene Rice Pereira	Lenore Tawney

Inspired by the major group exhibitions of pioneering artists curated by the renowned Dorothy C. Miller at the Museum of Modern Art, 18 Women: 50 Years offers a representative display of each featured artist. This presentation underscores the unique conceptual, material, and stylistic approaches of these artists, it includes traditional oil-on-canvas paintings, innovative found-object assemblages, and a diverse array of works in mediums often labeled as craft and unfairly excluded from fine art contexts.

all images © the Michael Rosenfeld gallery and the artist(s)

 

Each artist showcased a distinct voice within modernism and its offshoots, challenging the patriarchal constraints of the creative and institutional environments they navigated.

By assembling standout works that represent a variety of movements and contexts, 18 Women: 50 Years offers a vivid overview of these artists' unparalleled contributions to the history of twentieth-century art.

Hurry up though, the exhibition will finish at the end of the month (Jan 2025)!

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We hope you enjoyed these recommendations of exhibitions to see this winter in New York!

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