Finally, things are starting to regain some normalcy with major exhibitions opening after being rescheduled from last year. While there are many other shows to see, hopefully, this list of art exhibitions in summer 2021 is a great starting place to jump back into the art world. Right now, we all need to support our favorite museums, galleries, and artists! Many museums have advance tickets and restricted hours, so book ahead to be sure you can make it.

Niki de Saint Phalle: Structures for Life
MoMA PS1, New York
March 11 – September 6, 2021

Showcasing over 200 works created over the course of her art career, this retrospective at PS1 is a fantastic tribute to the late great feminist artist Niki de Saint Phalle. Regrettably, it is only the first major exhibition for the artist in the United States, who was a pioneer in terms of artistic mediums, branching out from painting and sculpture to such interdisciplinary mediums as jewelry, books, films, and even perfume. She is perhaps most known for her whimsical ‘Nanas’ sculptures, her “Tarot Garden” outside Rome, and performance works like “Shooting Picture” (1961), in which she shot paint cans lodged in a canvas. In “Structures for Life,” you’ll discover some of her earlier works that address social and political issues as well as many of her later endeavors.

Yayoi Kusama: A Retrospective
Gropius Bau, Berlin
March 19 – August 1, 2021

With an art career spanning 70 years, any retrospective for Yayoi Kusama is not to be missed, this one included. This exhibition in Berlin will be a whopper, bringing together eight of Kusama’s past exhibitions in a space that is over 3000 m². The show will also feature some of the lesser-known works that she created in Germany and Europe. Perhaps most thrilling of all is that a brand-new Infinity Mirror Room created for the exhibition will be unveiled. Get ready to wait in line for this one! And if you can’t catch it in Berlin, it will be traveling to Tel Aviv in the fall.

Julie Mehretu
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
March 25 – August 8, 2021

This mid-career survey for artist Julie Mehretu at The Whitney brings together around 25 years of her practice with around 30 experiential paintings, including a brand new one and 40 works on paper. Mehretu’s works are primarily abstractions with roots in representation. She uses the obfuscation of architecture, landscape, and recently, figuration to address themes of history, colonialism, immigration, white supremacy, and so much more. This show is an absolute don’t-miss.

Félix González-Torres: The Politics of Relation
MACBA, Barcelona
March 26 – September 12, 2021

The four rooms devoted to this exhibition of the late Cuban-American artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres are organized by theme, including politics, love, existential questions, and patriotism linked with homoerotism. Gonzalez-Torres’ works often have a participatory element, like taking a piece of candy from a large pile. This exhibition specifically addresses the artist’s work as it relates to Spanish, Latin American, and Caribbean cultures.

Dawoud Bey: An American Project
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
April 21 – October 3, 2021

Representation is one of the most pressing issues museums face today, and it is exhibitions like Dawoud Bey: An American Project at The Whitney that are making a difference. This survey brings together photographs from Dawoud Bey’s 45-year career, from his landscapes to more critically, his portraits of Black communities in America. His subjects are not objectified, rather Bey sees his work as a collaboration with the people in his photos. His works provide visibility for the largely underseen people of color in art.

Tracey Emin/ Edvard Munch: The Loneliness of the Soul
Royal Academy of Arts, London
May 18 – August 1, 2021

Last on our list of don’t miss art exhibitions in summer 2021 is this deeply introspective show, which brings together works of raw emotion and longing by contemporary artist Tracey Emin, and Norwegian Expressionist artist, Edvard Munch — most known for “The Scream.” A longtime fan of Munch’s work, Emin finally has the chance to showcase her works together with that of her greatest inspiration. 25 of her paintings will co-exist with 18 oils and watercolors by Munch at the RA in London. By viewing them side-by-side, Munch’s influence on Emin is clearly evidenced.

Featured Image: Julie Mehretu, Stadia II, 2004. Ink and acrylic on canvas, 107 3/8 × 140 1/8 in. (272.73 × 355.92 cm). Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburg; gift of Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn and Nicolas Rohatyn and A.W. Mellon Acquisition Endowment Fund 2004.50. Photograph courtesy the Carnegie Museum. © Julie Mehretu