The stateside art calendar for 2025 presents a series of incisive exhibitions that interrogate form, perspective, and cultural narratives. Spanning historical retrospectives and contemporary interventions, these shows offer a nuanced lens on the evolving dialogue between art and society.
From intimate studies to expansive surveys, each exhibition invites a deeper engagement with the ideas shaping our visual and cultural landscape. Check out a list of must-see museum shows across America below.
David Hockney: Perspective Should Be Reversed
Palm Springs Art Museum
November 23, 2024 – March 31, 2025
This expansive exhibition spans nearly six decades of David Hockney's pioneering work in a variety of media, from prints and collages to photography and digital drawings. Known for his innovative experiments with perspective, the show also explores his journey as a gay man and his ongoing exploration of new ways to depict the world. With over 200 works on display, this is a comprehensive look at one of contemporary art's most influential figures.
Palm Springs Art Museum
101 Museum Drive,
Palm Springs, CA 92262
Breaking the Mold: Brooklyn Museum at 200
Photo by © Robert Frank, courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum
February 28, 2025 – February 22, 2026
This February, celebrate the bicentennial of the Brooklyn Museum by exploring its evolution, from its earliest collections to its place as a leading cultural institution. The exhibit unfolds in three chapters, spotlighting Brooklyn-made art and artifacts, the museum’s changing collection over time, and contemporary works gifted by donors. Visitors can experience works by artists like Georgia O'Keeffe, KAWS, and Tourmaline, along with historic pieces that represent the borough's rich cultural heritage.
Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Pkwy
Brooklyn, NY 11238
Ryoji Ikeda at the High Museum of Art
Ryoji Ikeda
March 7 – August 10, 2025
In March, Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda's immersive video series data-verse will take viewers on an extraordinary visual journey through open-source datasets from CERN and NASA at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. The exhibition will also feature data gram, a mesmerizing 18-screen installation that dives deeper into the data behind his artwork, offering an introspective exploration of our world from the microscopic to the cosmic.
High Museum of Art
1280 Peachtree St NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
KAWS: FAMILY
KAWS and Crystal Bridges Museum of Contemporary Art
March 15 – July 28, 2025
KAWS will bring his iconic characters like Companion, BFF and Chum to life in a heartfelt exploration of family dynamics at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas. This expanded version of the exhibition, which debuted at the Art Gallery of Ontario, showcases sculptures and paintings that speak to the universal themes of connection, love, and loss. KAWS’ approachable yet profound artwork makes this exhibition both emotionally resonant and visually captivating.
Crystal Bridges Museum of Contemporary Art
600 Museum Way
Bentonville, AR 72712
Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits
MFA Boston
March 30 – September 7, 2025
In March, an intimate exhibition at MFA Boston will focus on Vincent van Gogh’s series of portraits of the Roulin family, which include the artist’s beloved subjects: the postman Joseph, his wife Augustine and their children. These paintings, created in 1888 in Arles, France, reveal van Gogh’s mastery of expression and use of color while providing a glimpse into his personal relationships. Complementing the works are letters between Van Gogh and the Roulin family, offering further insight into the artist’s creative process and emotional depth.
MFA Boston
465 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115
Ruth Asawa: Retrospective at SFMOMA
SFMoMA
April 5 – September 2, 2025
Ruth Asawa’s profound impact on sculpture, education and activism will be explored in a career-spanning retrospective at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art this coming April. The exhibition will amass over 300 works, including her iconic wire sculptures and public installations, along with personal artifacts that highlight her life as a Japanese-American artist. From her experience in a WWII internment camp to her contributions to San Francisco’s art scene, Asawa’s legacy as an educator and activist will be highlighted in this comprehensive show.
SFMOMA
151 3rd St
San Francisco, CA 94103
Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers
Guggenheim
April 18, 2025 – January 18, 2026
Rashid Johnson is gearing up to present his largest survey in a decade, A Poem for Deep Thinkers. The presentation will be situated at NYC's Guggenheim’s iconic rotunda. The show will explore themes of alienation, rebirth and escapism through Johnson’s wide-ranging practice, which includes painting, sculpture, and video. A monumental, site-specific sculpture and new film installations will anchor the exhibition, creating a dynamic experience that encourages reflection on personal and collective identity.
Guggenheim
1071 5th Ave.
New York, NY 10128
The Gatherers
MoMA
April 24 – October 6, 2025
In April, MoMA PS1 will introduce The Gatherers, bringing together over a dozen international artists whose work addresses the fallout of geopolitical crises, social unrest and systemic collapse. Featured artists, including Zhou Tao and Karimah Ashadu, explore global issues like labor relations, migration, and the environmental consequences of conflict. This thought-provoking exhibition will probe critical perspectives on how contemporary art reflects and responds to global challenges.
MoMA PS1
22-25 Jackson Ave
Queens, NY 11101
Hilma af Klint: What Stands Behind Flowers
Museum of Modern Art
May 11, 2024 – September 27, 2025
The Museum of Modern Art will spotlight the spiritual and abstract qualities of Hilma af Klint’s Nature Studies, a series of botanical drawings she created between 1919 and 1920. Af Klint’s mystical approach to nature intertwines geometric abstraction with depictions of plants, revealing her belief in the deeper forces at play in both the natural world and human existence. These works demonstrate af Klint’s innovative vision, predating the abstract art movement by several years.
MoMA
11 W 53rd St.
New York, NY 10019
Lorna Simpson: Source Notes
Metropolitan Museum of Art
May 19 – November 2, 2025
In this May exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lorna Simpson will explore her lesser-known practice of painting, building on her renowned work in photography. Source Notes will showcase Simpson’s abstracted interpretations of vintage photographs, archival materials and media imagery, bringing new depth to her exploration of race, gender, and identity. The works, rich in color and texture, offer an evocative dialogue between past and present societal constructs.
The Met
1000 5th Ave.
New York, NY 10028
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