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New York, it's finally spring. Okay, sure, Mother Nature doesn't seem to be all that aware of that fact but at least New York's best museums are, as evidenced by the season's new crop of exhibitions celebrating some of the most iconic figures across art (Raphael), fashion (Iris van Herpen) and even sports (hello, Lombardi trophy!)
Whether you're a culture vulture or simply want to escape some April showers by spending an afternoon inside a gorgeous gallery, there's plenty of artistic excitement to come in these springy months ahead. Here are 10 NYC art exhibitions we’re already planning to visit this spring.
10 NYC art exhibitions we’re most excited about in spring 2026
Art x Fashion at the Museum of FIT
Fashion has been explored as an expressive tool by numerous artists, from Salvador Dalí to Sonia Delaunay to Scott Barrie, a fact beautifully portrayed in the new exhibition Art X Fashion at the Museum of FIT. Running now through April 19, the stylish display features more than 140 objects, including garments, accessories, textiles, photographs and original artworks drawn from MFIT's permanent collection. "This exhibition will garner strong opinions and spark lively dialogue, but whether you decide that fashion is art or not, fashion's strong and mutual relationship with fine art is undeniable," says Dr. Elizabeth Way, curator of costume and accessories at MFIT.
Carol Bove at the Guggenheim
The Guggenheim's iconic spiral rotunda gets a colorful transformation courtesy the works of Geneva-born, New York-based artist Carol Bove, in the first museum survey of her sculptural pieces. Running through August 2 and charting more than 25 years of work, the career-spanning show displays the wide range of her inventive practices, "from assemblages of paperback books and intimate paper collages to towering steel sculptures," per the museum.
Pat Oleszko: Fool Disclosure at SculptureCenter
On now through April 27 across two floors of the SculptureCenter in Long Island City, Pat Oleszko: Fool Disclosure is the artist's first New York City solo presentation in 35 years, spotlighting her signature inflatables as well as posters, postcards, photographs, costumes, hats and moving images, among others, all of which are rooted in Oleszko's "humor, sharp social commentary and the defiance of all forms of authority."
Whitney Biennial 2026
On view as of March 8 at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the exhibition gathers 56 artists navigating everything from AI belief systems to climate grief and geopolitical power. Co-organized by Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer, the exhibition spans most of the museum’s galleries and extends into performance and public programming, with featured artists exploring how we’re connected—to each other, to systems, to governments, to technology—and how those systems shape our lives.
Frida and Diego: The Last Dream at MoMA
Two of Mexico's most beloved artistic and cultural icons—Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera—are being rightfully celebrated in a new MoMA exhibition presented in conjunction with the Metropolitan Opera and its production of El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego (May 14–June 5, 2026). On view now through September 12, 2026, the exhibit will showcase five paintings and a drawing by Kahlo and over a dozen works by Rivera pulled from MoMA's collection, in an elaborate installation designed by Jon Bausor, the set and co-costume designer of the opera. Photographic portraits of the artists by the likes of Lola Álvarez Bravo and Leo Matiz will also be on view.
New Humans: Memories of the Future at the New Museum
Following a two-year closure for a major expansion, the New Museum flung open its doors to the public on March 21 with an added 62,000 square feet to the institution and double the exhibition capacity. And the joint is celebrating with its inaugural exhibition, New Humans: Memories of the Future, which brings together more than 200 artists, writers, scientists and filmmakers from over 50 countries to explore how technology has shaped (and continues to reshape) what it means to be human.
Raphael: Sublime Poetry at the Met
On view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art from March 29 to June 28, Raphael: Sublime Poetry is a comprehensive exhibition spotlighting the titular Italian Renaissance genius, spanning his origins in Urbino to his prolific years in Florence (where he emerged as a peer to Da Vinci and Michelangelo) to his final decade at the papal court in Rome. Expect to see more than 200 of Raphael's most important drawings, paintings, tapestries and decorative arts—both his renowned masterpieces as well as rarely seen treasures.
Marcel Duchamp at MoMA
For the first time in five decades, a retrospective spotlighting the radical modern works and revolutionary readymades of Marcel Duchamp is coming to North America and, more specifically, New York’s Museum of Modern Art. On view from April 12 to August 22 in partnership with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Marcel Duchamp will feature nearly 300 pieces spanning six decades and all mediums, from his Cubist masterpiece Nude Descending a Staircase (No. 2) to his “portable museum,” The Box in a Valise.
For The Win: Objects of Sports Excellence at AMNH
Opening May 15, “For The Win: Objects of Sports Excellence” will bring more than 70 glittering symbols of athletic glory—from Olympic medals to Super Bowl hardware—into the American Museum of Natural History's Melissa and Keith Meister Gallery, set inside the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals. The Vince Lombardi Trophy, which has been handcrafted by Tiffany & Co. since 1967 and awarded annually to the Super Bowl champions, anchors an exhibition that spans more than 15 sports and nearly 150 years of competition. The show aims to trace how trophies, rings and medals evolved alongside modern sports culture.
Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses at the Brooklyn Museum
Opening its doors (or, rather, spreading its kinetic, three-dimensional wings) on Saturday, May 16 and running through Sunday, December 6 at the Brooklyn Museum, Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses will celebrate one of the most forward-thinking designers in the fashion industry, with 140 extraordinary haute-couture creations from the iconic Dutch designer on view alongside contemporary alongside contemporary artworks, objets d’art and scientific artifacts.