Ladies and gentlemen, art enthusiasts and culture vultures, lend me your eyes! As the leaves begin their annual transformation into a living Rothko painting, New York’s art scene is gearing up for a season more colorful than a unicorn’s daydream. The city’s museums are about to burst forth with exhibitions so tantalizing, they’d make Mona Lisa crack a full-toothed grin.
Imagine, if you will, a artistic smorgasbord where ancient Egyptian artifacts rub shoulders with Afrofuturistic visions, where Hudson River School landscapes dance a merry jig with Indigenous potlatch figures, and where the spirits of legendary choreographers pirouette through galleries turned into interdimensional portals. Buckle up, buttercup, because we’re about to embark on a whirlwind tour of the four most anticipated shows that’ll set the Big Apple’s art world ablaze this fall.
1. “Flight Into Egypt: Black Artists and Ancient Egypt, 1876-Now” at The Met
Hold onto your hieroglyphs, folks! The Metropolitan Museum of Art is about to take us on a magic carpet ride through time and space with “Flight Into Egypt: Black Artists and Ancient Egypt, 1876-Now” (Nov. 17-Feb. 17, 2025). This isn’t your grandma’s Egypt exhibit – unless your grandma happens to be Sun Ra, in which case, can we hang out?
Imagine a cultural Collider where ancient Egyptian artifacts crash into the Afrofuturistic visions of contemporary Black artists. The result? A mind-bending exploration of identity, heritage, and artistic expression that spans centuries. From the cosmic jazz of Sun Ra to Lauren Halsey’s psychedelic reimagining of the Temple of Dendur (which, let’s be honest, made the Met Roof Garden look like it had been visited by extremely stylish aliens), this show promises to be a feast for the eyes and food for the soul.
2. Brooklyn Museum’s 200th Anniversary Celebration
Two hundred years young and still shaking things up! The Brooklyn Museum is throwing itself a birthday bash on October 4th, and honey, you’re invited. They’re reimagining their American art galleries through a Black feminist and Indigenous curatorial lens, which is basically like giving the entire canon of American art a much-needed makeover.
Picture this: Hudson River School landscapes rubbing elbows with Gwa’sala Kwakwaka’wakw potlatch figures, while Bisa Butler’s portrait of Shirley Chisholm (Brooklyn’s own trailblazing presidential candidate) holds court. It’s like the most fabulous, thought-provoking dinner party you’ve ever attended, only with less small talk and more visual splendor.
3. “Edges of Ailey” at the Whitney Museum
Put on your dancing shoes, because the Whitney is about to trip the light fantastic with “Edges of Ailey” (Sept. 25-Feb. 9, 2025). This isn’t just a retrospective; it’s a deep dive into the creative mind of Alvin Ailey, choreographer extraordinaire and secret wannabe painter.
From Ailey’s early sketches to works by 80 artists he inspired, this show is like Six Degrees of Alvin Ailey, tracing his influences from the American South to Brazil to West Africa. And because looking at dance on paper is like trying to taste music, they’re smartly including a performance space for live Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater shows. It’s basically art in motion, people!
4. “Ceremonies Out of the Air: Ralph Lemon” at MoMA PS1
Last but certainly not least, MoMA PS1 is hosting “Ceremonies Out of the Air: Ralph Lemon” (Nov. 14-2025), a 10-year survey that’s part art show, part interdimensional portal. Lemon, a choreographer and visual artist, apparently never met a medium he didn’t like – painting, photography, sculpture, performance, you name it.
The pièce de résistance? The complete presentation of Lemon’s “1856 Cessna Road” (2002-24), a video series that’s part documentary, part sci-fi fever dream, created in collaboration with former Mississippi sharecropper Walter Carter. It’s the kind of work that makes you question reality, in the best possible way.
Conclusion
As our artistic odyssey draws to a close, we find ourselves standing at the crossroads of past and future, tradition and innovation, the tangible and the ephemeral. These four exhibitions aren’t just shows; they’re portals to other worlds, windows into the souls of artists past and present, and mirrors reflecting our own ever-evolving cultural landscape. They remind us that art isn’t just something we see – it’s something we experience, something that changes us in ways both subtle and profound.
So, dear reader, as you plan your autumnal adventures, remember that these museum walls hold more than just paintings and sculptures. They house dreams and nightmares, whispers of history and shouts of revolution, tears of joy and screams of defiance. Whether you’re a seasoned art critic or a curious newcomer, these shows promise to leave you changed, challenged, and maybe even a little bit breathless. After all, in the immortal words of the great philosopher Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” And darling, you wouldn’t want to miss this for the world.
