The New York art exhibitions to see in September

New York is abuzz with an array of intriguing and thought-provoking art from group shows to subversive Pop Art. The city’s concrete façade is a canvas for emerging artists to gather inspiration and express themselves- pushing the boundaries of media and holding social justice as their primary message.

New York continuously proves to be a powerhouse of creativity, and we don’t want you to miss a thing. Plan your next visit with our handy, monthly updated guide to the best exhibitions to see around the city.

Wanting a longer stay? See the Wallpaper* edit of New York's best design hotels.

The best New York art exhibitions: what to see this month

‘Mexican Prints at the Vanguard’

The Met 12 September 2024– 5 January 2025

The tradition of printmaking in Mexico is explored in this colourful exhibition. The early works from printmaker José Guadalupe Posada, who is known for his characterful skeletons which helped shape a global identity for Mexican art, through to printmaking following the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), the exhibition showcases a blend of works from eighteenth century through to mid-twentieth century. The exhibition looks at artists who took advantage of printmaking to address social and political concerns and voice resistance to the rise of fascism around the world.

‘Robert Frank’s Scrapbook Footage’

The Museum of Modern Art 15 September 2024–March 2025

Robert Frank, who is best known for capturing post-war America and its following social and political unrest, is celebrated in MoMA’s latest exhibition Robert Frank’s Scrapbook Footage. After he passed away in 2019, it was in great discovery that tucked away in film canisters and tapes was an archive of unseen footage which spans the years 1970 to 2006. In partnership with the June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation, Frank’s long-time film editor Laura Israel and the art director Alex Bingham have used these fragments to create a moving-image scrapbook that conveys life through Frank’s lens.

‘What It Becomes’

Whitney Museum of American Art 24 August 2024– 12 January 2025

Featuring the work of 11 artists, What It Becomes explores new and rarely seen works which explore what drawing is and what drawing can be. The exhibition presents a variety of processes and techniques inherent to drawing. Some artists have explored this through drawings on paper, in photography and video, while others have explored different tools, or using their body as a surface. The cohesive nature of the exhibition lies between identity and the beauty and possibility of reshaping or redefining oneself.

‘The Enemy of All Mankind'

David Zwirner 12 September– 26 October 2024

Stan Douglas presents a new exhibition at David Zwirner. His new photographic series will feature nine images with staged scenes from the eighteenth century comic opera Polly, which taps into key themes that still remain relevant today including race, class, gender, and media.

‘Jason Rhoades. DRIVE II’

Hauser & Wirth 5 September – 19 October

Jason Rhoades presents ‘DRIVE II’ in New York, a major exhibition featuring his ‘car projects’ including a convoy of different makes of readymade car sculptures. 'I spend hours going to my studio, so I established this extension of my studio, or rather this second space, in my Caprice,’ says Rhoades ‘DRIVE II’ will run in parallel to the yearlong exploration of Rhoades’ art and car culture taking place at Hauser & Wirth Downtown Los Angeles.

If you're heading to the West coast, here are the best shows to see in Los Angeles this month

'Helen Marden: The Grief Paintings'

Gagosian Park & 75 until 14 Sep 2024

A new collection of work from American artist Helen Marden, explores the journey of grieving. After caring for artist and husband Brice, Marden created a series of resin paintings in the months following his passing. The abstraction is created from powdered ink and resin with natural objects carefully layered which extend over the paintings circular borders. The Grief Paintings is Marden’s artistic nod to the journey of life and how to grieve on your own terms.

Writer Tianna Williams

‘Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry’

The American Museum of Natural History until 5 January 2025

Be immersed in the sparkling world of Hip-Hop jewellery at the American Museum of Natural History. Oversized gold chains and diamond encrusted keyrings are accompanied with star-studded names- The Notorious B.I.G., Jam Master Jay and Erykah Badu among them. But ‘Ice Cold’ aims higher, going way beyond the brilliantly audacious designs to illuminate hip-hop jewellery as part of a multi-layered trajectory of style, politics and sociocultural trends.

Writer Caragh Mckay

'In the Shadow of the American Dream: David Wojnarowicz'

Museum of Modern Art, ongoing

Wojnarowicz's work has been recontextualised by MoMA, who have presented it alongside his contemporaries from the eighties New York downtown scene including filmmaker Marion Scemama, Donald Moffett, Agosto Machado and painter Martin Wong. Important works here include Wojnarowicz's's 1987 Fire, while Machado’s Shrine is a moving time capsule of ephemera. It includes a ‘Justice for Marsha’ sign, referring to questions around the suspicious death of trans activist Marsha P Johnson in 1992, as well as club flyers and memorial service cards.

Writer: Lauren Cochrane

Light Line: Jenny Holzer

The Guggenheim, until 29 September 2024

Former Wallpaper* Guest Editor, Jenny Holzer, transforms The Guggenheim's Frank Lloyd-Wright designed rotunda with a spiralling display of LED panels, broadcasting phrases from her series of essays. A reimagination of her 1989 exhibition at Guggenheim, Light Line highlights the incisive use of the written word across time and media in Holzer’s practice. In addition to the LED sign, the exhibition features a selection of Holzer’s works from the 1970s to the present day, including paintings, works on paper, and stone pieces. Between May 16-20, the building's exterior will also be used to project a selection of poems and observations which speak on the need for peace.

Writer: Charlotte Gunn