Around Town: 5 Art Shows in NYC Not to Miss This Summer

Summer in NYC is always a time for escaping and getting as far away from the city as possible, but it’s also a great time of year for some pretty exciting stuff. Some of the best music festivals, concerts, and outdoor events happen during the summer months, and this time it also includes some pretty amazing art shows in NYC. It’s especially exciting as two of them happen to be two of my very favorite artists, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Frida Kahlo, whose show at the Botanical Garden I’m most excited about. If you’re sticking around this summer here are 5 art shows in NYC that are not to be missed.

1. Basquiat at the Brooklyn Museum. It seems perfect that the Brooklyn Museum would be host to the original Brooklynite, Jean-Michel Basquiat, in the first major exhibition of his personal notebooks. Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks  includes rarely seen images and documents from the notebooks which include sketches, and personal observations of street life, as well as larger scale paintings. From April 3–August 23, 2015.

2. Frida at the New York Botanical Garden. This is a very exciting time for all passionate fans of artist Frida Kahlo. For the first time in ten years, the much anticipated exhibition is the first one to truly focus on the greener side of Kahlo, and showcase her ability to create, not just in art, but through her garden. The show includes a rare display of over a dozen paintings, but also includes a reimagining of Kahlo’s home garden and studio in Mexico City. I’ve already begun to see the “Frida Selfies” on Instagram; (the show includes many interactive features that include dining experiences, art activities, and the chance to create your own selfies), and though I can’t deny I might partake, I am hoping to get much more out of this exciting, one of a kind tribute to my favorite artist. From May 16- Nov 1, ’15. Get tickets here.

3. Saturday Night Live The Exhibition. On May 30th, fans of SNL will get to experience the show through a different outlet, when the new  ‘SNL: The exhibition‘ opens on fifth avenue. The exhibit illustrates the creative process of the famed tv show through various sets, props, videos, presentations, and of course, photography. Opens May 30th. Buy Tickets here.

4.  Yayoi Kusama Give Me Love at the David Zwirner Gallery. At the artists new show, visitors to the gallery are given a sheet of neon-colored stickers, and walk through a house covering them in the dots wherever it suits them. The once blank space has now been covered in colorful dots, and continues to grow, as its visitors continue coming. This interactive show is open May 9th to June 13th.

5. China Through the Looking Glass at the MET. The new costume exhibit at the MET, which recently kicked off one of the most avant-garde, over the top stylish Met Galas in recent history, focuses this time on the fashionable imagination, and inspiration of China. The exhibition consists of more than 140 pieces of high fashion and haute couture with corresponding Chinese art, and explores the impact China has had on fashion through the centuries. May 7- August 16th. 

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