The new season is upon us, and it’s the perfect time to reconnect with creativity—and this summer, museums across the country are offering some of the most compelling art exhibitions in recent memory. From landmark retrospectives to urgent group shows that reckon with history, the current slate of exhibitions brings together bold perspectives on identity, resilience, and cultural legacy. Whether you’re drawn to dynamic mixed-media works, sharp political commentary, or vivid reimaginings of the natural world, these exhibitions offer both visual splendor and critical reflection. As galleries and institutions open their doors to new stories and long-overlooked voices, this moment in art is as powerful as it is necessary.
The lineup spans both coasts and includes pioneering figures like Amy Sherald and Faith Ringgold, whose contributions to American art continue to reshape public memory and representation. It also highlights international artists such as Ezrom Legae, whose allegorical drawings speak to global histories of resistance. Together, these exhibitions form a rich tapestry of artistic thought that bridges the personal and the political, the historical and the contemporary.
From Southern California to the East Coast and beyond, here are the must-see art exhibitions you won’t want to miss this summer.
‘Raymond Saunders: Flowers From a Black Garden’
Raymond Saunders: Flowers From a Black Garden is a dynamic selection of the artist’s layered, mixed-media works that blend painting, drawing, and collage. Known for his use of black grounds evoking chalkboards, Saunders incorporates personal and cultural references that speak to identity, education, and social critique. The exhibition offers a rare look at the breadth of his decades-long career, featuring approximately 35 works that reveal his improvisational approach and sharp visual language. It stands as the most comprehensive overview of his practice to date. On view through July 13, 2025. Carnegie Museum of Art. carnegieart.org
‘Glenn Ligon’
‘Glenn Ligon’
This focused exhibition of works by Glenn Ligon explores his powerful engagement with American identity, language, and cultural memory. Featuring neon installations, video, and text-based paintings, the show highlights Ligon’s signature use of language to interrogate race, history, and the politics of visibility. Drawing from figures like James Baldwin and Richard Pryor, the artist confronts the failures of representation through works that are at once minimalist and deeply charged. The exhibition opens May 21 and invites viewers to consider how national narratives are constructed—and who gets left out. On view through July 19, 2025. The Brant Foundation. brantfoundation.org
‘Black Earth Rising’
Black Earth Rising explores the intersection of environmental harm and colonial legacies through the lens of artists from the African diaspora, Latin America, and Native communities. Centered on themes of resilience and ecological memory, the exhibition contrasts the exploitation of land with enduring practices of care and cultivation. Its title draws from terra preta—a rich, man-made soil developed by Indigenous peoples of the Amazon—evoking both ancestral knowledge and the possibility of renewal. Through striking contemporary works, the show invites viewers to reconsider how histories of land and labor continue to shape our climate future. On view through September 21. Baltimore Museum of Art. artbma.org
‘Jeffrey Gibson: The Space in Which to Place Me’
Jeffrey Gibson: The Space in Which to Place Me marks the artist’s first solo museum exhibition in Southern California, following his groundbreaking presentation at the 2024 Venice Biennale. This iteration at The Broad brings together vibrant, text-driven works that blend Indigenous aesthetics with pointed reflections on American identity. Drawing from historical references and traditional craft, Gibson honors the legacy of Native makers while confronting ongoing systems of oppression. The exhibition offers a powerful meditation on belonging, resistance, and cultural continuity. On view through September 28. The Broad. thebroad.org
‘Faith Ringgold: Seeing Children’
While Faith Ringgold is best known for her powerful narrative quilts, this exhibition shines a light on her prolific work as a children’s book author and illustrator. Featuring over 100 original paintings and drawings, including never-before-exhibited pieces, the show highlights Ringgold’s visual storytelling across beloved titles like Tar Beach, If a Bus Could Talk, and We Came to America. Through these works, Ringgold celebrates children as imaginative visionaries and cultural witnesses. On view through October 12, 2025. High Museum of Art, high.org
‘Ezrom Legae: Beasts’
In his first major U.S. museum exhibition, South African artist Ezrom Legae is spotlighted for his powerful drawings that use animal forms to confront the brutal realities of apartheid. Spanning from 1967 to 1996, these contorted, expressive figures serve as metaphors for systemic violence, protest, and survival. Focusing on Legae’s most prolific periods—the 1970s and 1990s—the show reveals how his visual language challenged oppression through allegory and abstraction. On view through November 16, 2025. High Museum of Art. high.org
‘Amy Sherald: American Sublime’
The National Portrait Gallery presents Amy Sherald: American Sublime, a landmark exhibition showcasing nearly two decades of the artist’s work. Organized by SFMOMA, the survey features both celebrated and lesser-known paintings, including Sherald’s iconic portrait of Michelle Obama and her moving tribute to Breonna Taylor. Marking her first major museum retrospective, the exhibition underscores Sherald’s distinctive approach to portraiture and her impact on contemporary art. On view September 19, 2025 through February 22, 2026. Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. npg.si.edu
