Top five shows: Feb 7–13, 2013

The best of the week in art.

By Howard Halle

Photograph: Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Ga

“Blues for Smoke” at the Whitney Museum of American Art
Jazz, blues and hip-hop are the points of reference for this survey of 20th- and 21st-century artworks—some of which allude directly to the music, others dealing with such associated themes as heartbreak, the Man and being broke. Thu 7–Apr 28
Photograph: Courtesy the artist and the Estate of Colin de Land

“NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star” at the New Museum of Contemporary Art
The NewMu looks back at the art world of a rough-and-tumble New York, before Sheriff Giuliani rode into town. Wed 13–May 26
Photograph: © The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat/ADAGP

Jean-Michel Basquiat at Gagosian Gallery
The meteoric career of this painting legend gets Gagosian’s patented museum-quality survey treatment. Thu 7–Apr 26
Photograph: Courtesy Private Collection

“German Expressionism 1900–1930: Masterpieces from the Neue Galerie Collection” at Neue Galerie New York
Modernity and primitivism go together like Donald Trump and bad hair in this roundup of classic early-20th-century German art, taken from the vaults of the Neue Galerie. Thu 7–Apr 22
Photograph: © The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute

“Piero della Francesca in America” at The Frick Collection
The Italian Renaissance master receives his first monographic exhibition in the United States, courtesy of the Frick. Tue 12–May 19

Photograph: Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Ga

“Blues for Smoke” at the Whitney Museum of American Art
Jazz, blues and hip-hop are the points of reference for this survey of 20th- and 21st-century artworks—some of which allude directly to the music, others dealing with such associated themes as heartbreak, the Man and being broke. Thu 7–Apr 28