20 Best Museum Exhibits in the US - Fall 2024
Every once in a while, I fantasize about what it would be like to live somewhere where you could just pop in to a world-class museum when you felt like it. I live in an area of the United States that is bereft of culture unless you consider Disney and Univeral to be “culture.” Sorry, Florida! We have things like lots of sunshine instead.
So, I thought it might be interesting to see what’s showing this fall across the U.S. in some of our major museums.
Here’s a list organized by state and in alphabetical order. The links take you to the museum's exhibits page and I've selected one exhibit from each museum to note here. Be sure to go to the links to see what else is on.
Arkansas
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR
"Knowing the West: Visual Legacies of the American West" - how people see the American West. (Sept 14, 2024 - Jan 27, 2025)
California
The Getty Center, Los Angeles, CA
"Rising Signs: The Medieval Science of Astrology" - medieval astrology as it intersected with medicine, divination, and daily life in the Middle Ages. (Oct 1, 2024 - Jan 5, 2025)
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Los Angeles, CA
"Mapping the Infinite: Cosmologies Across Cultures" - artwork from different cultures and time periods whose aim is to explain origins of our universe. (Oct 20, 2024 - Mar 2, 2025)
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), San Francisco, CA
"Consuelo Kanaga: Catch the Spirit" - the first west coast retrospective of a staff photojournalist (SF Chronicle) who documented social issues, labor rights and racial inequality. (Sept 28, 2024 - Feb 9, 2025)
Georgia
The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
"Patterns in Abstraction: Black Quilts from the High’s Collection" - attempts to answer the question "How can quilts made by Black women change the way we tell the history of abstract art?” (Jun 28, 2024 - Jan 5, 2025)
Illinois
The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
"Paula Modersohn-Becker: I Am Me" - the first museum retrospective in the United States for this artist who painted the first nude self-portraits known to have been made by a woman. (Oct 12, 2024 - Jan 12, 2025)
Massachusetts
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), Boston, MA
"Georgia O’Keeffe and Henry Moore" - American painter Georgia O’Keeffe and British sculptor Henry Moore. "This major exhibition is the first to bring these two artists into conversation." (Oct 13, 2024 - Jan 20, 2025)
Michigan
The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI
"Tiff Massey: 7 Mile + Livernois" - "Massey’s most ambitious museum installation to date, featuring new sculptures commissioned by the DIA in conversation with works by several other artists from the museum’s collection." (May 5, 2024 - May 11, 2025)
Missouri
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO
"Monet in Conversation" - As an artist, Monet was both an influencer and was influenced by other artists. This exhibit is about that relationship with Americans in Paris. (Mar 30, 2024 - Mar 23, 2025)
New York
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met), New York, NY
"Mandalas: Mapping the Buddhist Art of Tibet" - features Himalayan Buddhist art. (Sept 19, 2024 - Jan 12, 2025)
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, NY
"Otobong Nkanga: Cadence" presents a multimedia installation exploring resources and environment. (Through Jun 8, 2025)
The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
"Edges of Ailey" - reflects on Alvin Ailey's dance legacy. (Sept 25, 2024 –Feb 9, 2025)
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY
"Collection in Focus: Piet Mondrian, Ever further" - an exhibition that reveals the evolution of Piet Mondrian’s abstract style (Nov 22, 2024 - Apr 20, 2025)
Ohio
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
"Picasso and Paper" - the artist's works of collage and sculpture using paper. (Dec 8, 2024 - Mar 23, 2025)
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
"Visions of the Land in Edo Japan" - Paintings of the land expanded in Japan during the Edo period (1615–1868). This exhibit represents recent acquisitions and other works from the museum's collection. (Through Jan 13, 2025)
The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, PA
"Mickalene Thomas: All About Love" - the first major international tour of the work of artist Mickalene Thomas whose works focus on black femininity. (Oct 20, 2024 - Jan 12, 2025)
Texas
The Menil Collection, Houston, TX
"Tacita Dean: Blind Folly" - this exhibit reflects the artist's interest in letting her chosen medium heavily influence the outcome of her work.(Oct 11, 2024 - Apr 19, 2025)
Kimbell Art Museum, Ft. Worth, TX
"Dutch Art in a Global Age" - a collection of paintings by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Gerrit Dou, Jacob van Ruisdael, Maria Schalcken, and other artists from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. (Nov 10, 2024 - Feb 9, 2025)
Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX
"Cecily Brown: Themes and Variations" - "offers a closer look at Brown’s practice, examining the way her work challenges art history’s traditional values and presents women as complex and fully realized authors and subjects." (Sept 29, 2024 - Feb 9, 2025)
Washington, D.C.
The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
"Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment" - features the birth of the movement. (Sept 8, 2024 – Jan 19, 2025)
If I’ve missed one of your favorite museums, please let me know and I’ll make sure to add it to my list the next time I do one of these collection posts.