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Top 10 Must-See Art Exhibitions in the US for 2025

Melissa Sullivan010 mins

Top 10 Museum Exhibitions to Visit in 2024 Across the USA

At the USA’s leading museums, a spirit of friendly competition prevails for creating the most compelling yet crowd-pleasing displays that will make headlines and draw crowds. In the new year, this will make all museumgoers winners.

In the coming months, institutions across the country will present new contexts for artists whose work you think you know by heart. Historical objects and subjects will receive fresh interpretations, and emerging creators whose work is currently known only to insiders may find their breakthrough.

In chronological order, here are 10 museum exhibitions across the USA that are worth traveling for in 2024.

Yayoi Kusama’s “LOVE IS CALLING” installation
Yayoi Kusama’s famous “LOVE IS CALLING” will be installed at SFMOMA through September 2024 © YAYOI KUSAMA; courtesy the artist, Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner

1. Yayoi Kusama: Infinite Love

SFMOMA, San Francisco
On view: now through September 7

For six decades, Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has been exploring the concept of the “infinity room.” These immersive installations combine bold colors, three-dimensional forms, and mirror-generated optical illusions, transporting viewers into a captivating aesthetic universe. Featuring works such as Dreaming of Earth’s Sphericity, I Would Offer My Love (2023) and LOVE IS CALLING (2013), this exhibition marks Kusama’s first major showcase in Northern California.

Matisse painting
An enchanting show at the St Louis Museum of Art will present such Matisse works as “Seated Woman, Back Turned to the Open Window” (ca 1922; The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts) © 2024 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

2. Matisse and the Sea

St Louis Art Museum, St Louis
On view: February 17–May 12, 2024

This groundbreaking exhibition offers an extensive perspective on how Henri Matisse depicted and explored the sea throughout his career. Featuring iconic pieces such as Bathers with Turtle (1907–8), this show unveils the broader narrative behind Matisse’s work against the backdrop of his life experiences by the Mediterranean.

Archibald J. Motley Jr.'s Black Belt
Archibald J. Motley Jr.’s “Black Belt” will be a highlight of the Met’s major Harlem Renaissance exhibition this spring © Estate of Archibald John Motley Jr. All reserved rights 2023 / Bridgeman Images

3. The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
On view: February 25–June 28, 2024

This highly anticipated exhibition seeks to position Black artists within the broader narrative of modern art history by juxtaposing works from the Harlem Renaissance with those of their European contemporaries. Expect to see pieces by artists like Charles Alston, Archibald Motley, and James Van Der Zee.

Exterior view of the Whitney Museum
The Whitney Biennial is always one of the year’s most-talked-about art events © Nic Lehoux / courtesy Whitney Museum of American Art

4. Whitney Biennial 2024: Even Better Than the Real Thing

Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City
On view: starting March 20, 2024

The Whitney Biennial remains a pivotal platform showcasing contemporary American artists. Since its inception in 1932, this exhibition continues to challenge and inspire dialogue, ensuring that regardless of your perspective, the experience remains memorable.

Video piece by Meryl McMaster
Work by women in many media—including Meryl McMaster’s video piece “Lead Me to Places I Could Never Find on My Own” © Courtesy of the artist, Stephen Bulger Gallery, and Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain

5. New Worlds: Women to Watch 2024

National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC
On view: April 14–August 11, 2024

This triennial survey focuses on emerging female creators, returning after a major renovation. As the only museum dedicated exclusively to women artists, this exhibition promises innovative works brimming with creativity and ideas, showcasing around two dozen artists from around the globe.

Georgia O’Keeffe's work
Georgia O’Keeffe works such as “Ballet Skirt or Electric Light (from the White Rose Motif)” (1927) will be on display © courtesy Art Institute of Chicago

6. Georgia O’Keeffe: “My New Yorks”

Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
On view: June 2–September 24, 2024

This exhibition explores how Georgia O’Keeffe’s formative years in New York City shaped her artistic identity, clearly illustrating the evolution of her work from urban landscapes to her later, more natural themes.

The Battle of Pavia Tapestries
A series of splendid Renaissance tapestries will grace the galleries of the Kimbell Art Museum this summer © courtesy Kimbell Art Museum

7. Art and War in the Renaissance: The Battle of Pavia Tapestries

Kimbell Museum of Art, Fort Worth
On view: June 16–September 15, 2024

This exhibition presents an extraordinary collection of tapestries commissioned by Emperor Charles V, offering a glimpse into the narrative power of art during the Renaissance, blending beauty with historical propaganda.

Salem Witch Trials installation
The Salem Witch Trials get a new perspective at the Peabody Essex Museum © Mark Sexton and Jeffrey R. Dykes / courtesy of PEM

8. 1692: The Salem Witch Trials

Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts
On view: July 6, 2024–June 1, 2026

This ongoing installation examines the infamous Salem Witch Trials, bringing personal stories and artifacts to light, reminding visitors of the real tragedy faced by individuals caught up in this dark chapter of American history.

Manet's The Railway
Seminal 19th-century works such as Manet’s “The Railway” will be on display in “Paris 1874” in Washington DC © courtesy the National Gallery of Art

9. Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment

National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
On view: September 8, 2024–January 19, 2025

This exhibition delves into a pivotal moment in art history, focusing on the revolutionary trends that emerged in the 1874 Paris exhibition, showcasing the works of artists such as Monet and Renoir.

Picasso's Women at Their Toilette, Paris
The monumental collage “Women at Their Toilette, Paris” by Pablo Picasso will make a rare journey to the US this fall at the Cleveland Museum of Art © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée national Picasso-Paris) / Adrien Didierjean. © Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

10. Picasso and Paper

Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland
On view: December 8, 2024–March 23, 2025

This innovative exhibition focuses exclusively on Picasso’s works on paper, exploring how the artist utilized different paper mediums to create collages, sketches, and more, offering a fresh perspective on his monumental influence in the art world.

This article was first published on December 29, 2023, and updated on January 2, 2024.


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