It’s almost impossible to believe September is already here. How did it arrive so quickly? Maybe it feels that way because August closed with a series of devastating losses across the arts and culture world, leaving many of us stunned and unsettled.
Credit goes to artist Justin Blinder, who devised a tool that causes electric City Bikes to slow down in less affordable neighborhoods. It’s the kind of art activism you can feel in real time. Read Eliana Perozo’s report, co-published with the nonprofit news organization Next City.
Elsewhere, John Galliano has withdrawn his exhibition from the Costume Institute at The Met after a wave of criticism over his racist and antisemitic hate speech, which included, among other things, saying “I love Hitler,” and ultimately led to his conviction in 2011. That may seem preferable to the Costume Institute’s 2023 exhibition devoted to the late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld and Jeff and Lauren (Sánchez) Bezos bankrolling the 2026 Met Gala, but it still raises the question of where the line should be drawn.
This month, I’ll be trying to budget my time to take in an especially crowded calendar of art openings and events. Luckily, our annual fall exhibition guide for New York City is here to help map out the season. I’m especially interested in Aziz Hazara: Coming Home at the SculptureCenter, which looks at two decades of everyday “leftovers” from the US-led NATO occupation of Afghanistan; Jack Shainman Gallery’s upcoming Gordon Parks exhibition, featuring new insights from the families of Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, and other people Parks photographed; and Raise Your Voice: New York Activism at the Museum of the City of New York. With dozens of additional exhibitions to explore, September is shaping up to be one to remember.
School is back in session in the art world, too: this fall, major shows devoted to textbook figures such as Abstract Expressionists Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock, Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, and modernist Constantin Brancusi are landing at The Met, the Whitney, and MoMA, respectively. Alongside them are exhibitions that may help write the textbooks of the future, including surveys of artist-filmmaker Arthur Jafa, who remixes and shapes Black visual culture; photographer Taryn Simon, who examines American myths and institutions; and conceptual artist and pathologist Teresa Margolles, who confronts death, that cruelest of subjects. Still, the season is not limited to blockbuster presentations, and there’s something here for everyone.
Affordable Art Fair New York Fall 2026 is also back. The fair returns September 16-20 at the Starrett-Lehigh building in Chelsea, where more than 90 galleries will present thousands of works, all priced from $100-$1200. Find your next favorite artwork!
News
The British fashion designer John Galliano has withdrawn his upcoming exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, which had been set to run alongside the 2027 Met Gala, following fierce criticism of his past racist behavior.
Artist Yayoi Kusama, whose psychologically charged, impossibly kaleidoscopic works captivated millions worldwide, dies at the age of 97.
Opinion
What I Got Wrong About Krasner and Pollock
I had assumed that loving an artist meant disappearing a little, and I had assumed that Lee Krasner had been forced to shrink, too. | Lia Strasser
Feature
Artist’s Device Slows Down Citi Bikes in Less Affordable Neighborhoods
Justin Blinder’s latest project examines New York City’s affordability crisis and makes the disparities felt on a physical level. | Eliana Perozo
What Else Is Happening?
At the Long Island Museum, Enduring Heart: Native American Long Island offers a celebration of the First Peoples of Long Island through artifacts and art. (Through December 20) [longislandmuseum.org]
IFC’s 2026 Sundance Film Festival short film tour opens this week. (Wed Sept 2) [ifccenter.com]
Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance will host a closing artists talk for its exhibition America, the Beautiful? (Wed Sept 2) [nomaanyc.org]
Join LES Ecology Center and Black Girls Sew for a hands-on clothing repair and mending workshop. (Tues Sept 8) [lesecologycenter.org]
Conduits of the Unseen: Women Artists Imagine Other Worlds at Andrew Edlin Gallery opens next week. (Opening Wed Sept 9) [edlingallery.com]
440 Gallery announces the Call for Art for the 22nd annual Small Works Show 2026. Submit by September 9. (Wed Sept 9) [440gallery.com]
Join an Alma Thomas-inspired abstract painting workshop at Liz’s Book Bar. (Sun Sept 13) [lizsbookbar.com]
Attend the Opening Reception of Bill Miller’s upcoming solo exhibition. Miller has been using scraps of vintage linoleum as a principle medium for three decades. (Thurs Sept 17) [diefirmanyc.com]
Pete’s Candy Store is hosting its annual Mini Zinefest later this month! (Sat Sept 19) [Pete’s Mini Zinefest]
Enjoy free sustainability-focused art activations in a community art garden in Harlem, with clay coasters, printmaking, and more! (Sat Sept 19) [The Unframed Arts Collective]
