Top five shows: Oct 4–10, 2012

“Picasso Black and White” at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
As in every other category of art, Picasso dominated when it came to creating works in black and white. This career-spanning show surveys his lifelong exploration of the unlimited possibilities to be found in a limited palette. Fri 5–Jan 23

Alina Szapocznikow, “Sculpture Undone: 1955–1972” at Museum of Modern Art
Szapocznikow (1926–1973) created eerie, unsettling objects with casts taken from her own body. Sun 7–Jan 28

Wade Guyton at Whitney Museum of American Art
The artist’s first midcareer survey features his digital update on minimalist abstraction. Thu 4–Jan 13

Silver Wind: The Arts of Sakai Hoitsu (1761–1828)” at Japan Society
This Japanese poet, master craftsman and artist is known especially for his exquisite folding screens, which feature images from nature painted over gold or silver leaf. Through Jan 6

Katrin Sigurdardottir, “Ellefu” at Eleven Rivington
Sigurdardottir builds Lilliputian reconstructions of various rooms from her childhood home, using memory and family photos as guides. Fri 5–Nov 4