The 25 Must See Exhibitions Of Summer 2012

Summer is basically here, and everyone's frantically making plans for long trips, quick weekend getaways, and days by the pool. We're all for aimless fun, but it's nice to pencil in some cultural adventures and make the most of the occasional rainy day.

From coast to coast, we've checked out all our favorite museums to see what they're offering over the next few months. Whether as niche as Land art at the MOCA or as acclaimed as Cindy Sherman at MoMA, these summer exhibitions won't disappoint you.

Check out The 25 Must See Exhibitions Of Summer 2012

Museum: San Francisco MoMA

Dates: July 14 - October 07, 2012

Did you miss the Cindy Sherman retrospective in NYC? Fear not, your chance to view this fabulous exhibition now requires a trip to one of our favorites, the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. Just make sure you don't miss the exhibition twice.

Museum: Hammer Museum

Dates: June 2 - September 2, 2012

What's happening in LA's bustling art scene? Find out here. Over 60 artists will be on display in what is being hailed as the first Los Angeles biennial.

Museum: Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami

Dates: May 24 - September 2, 2012

Complex Art+Design Golden Rule: "When there is an Ed Ruscha exhibition, one should never miss it."

Museum: The Pollock Krasner House & Study Center at Stony Brook University

Dates: May 3 - July 28, 2012

What do you do when that dream weekend in the Hamptons is rained out? Go to the museum, of course. This summer, the Pollock Krasner House & Study Center hosts a banger in the form of The Persistence of Pollock. Ponder the famed artist's impact on contemporary art and give a dark clouded weekend a true silver lining.

Museum: The Morgan Library & Museum

Dates: July 20 - October 14, 2012

Think that new new Nike colorway you got is cool? You know what is cooler? Knowing that Joseph Albers is responsible for making people think critically about how colors work. He's famous for his painting series Homage to the Square too, and this exhibition offers a special opportunity to view the studies produced for these compositions.

Museum: National Gallery of Art

Dates: June 10 - October 8, 2012

It has been almost 30 years since the last major George Bellows show. Take that as impetus for making sure you hit the National Gallery of Art this summer. Need further reason? Bellows, who died at just forty-two, is arguably the most important artist in modern American art, having defined the urban landscape of New York in his work.

Museum: The Menil Collection

Dates: March 30 - July 29, 2012

Midwestern motorcycle gangs, the Civil Rights Movement, and death row inmates in Texas prisons — these are just some of the things documented by photographer Danny Lyon since his career kicked off in 1962. Check out some truly powerful American stories if you're in Houston over the next couple months.

Museum: Phoenix Art Museum

Dates: May 26 - September 23, 2012

We all know that paper functions to support drawings, prints, and even watercolors. But what else? Yes, paper can also support three-dimensional work. Paper! explores all the potential of the material — from Picasso's collages to fashion design.

Museum: Museum of Arts and Design

Dates: February 7 - August 12, 2012

This exhibit is awesome. Awesome in the truest sense. Dirt and dust are unusual materials for sure, but the possibilities are mind-blowing. Missing this show would be a fail of epic proportion.

Museum: SITE Santa Fe

Dates: July 7, 2012 - January, 2013

A collaboration between SITE and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, More Real?, is all about deception and memory in an era of hyper media and new technologies. The general idea is to explore the vague concept of just "what is real." Intriguing, don't you think?

Museum: Bowdoin College Museum of Art

Dates: July 31 - October 21, 2012

You've seen William Wegman's famous photos of dogs, but did you know he's also a really talented painter? Yup, this exhibition shares the artist's brilliant work in all media, with special emphasis on his engagement with Maine and the state's rugged beauty.

Museum: Denver Art Museum

Dates: July 15 - October 7, 2012

Summer vacations require a bit of travel, so why not learn a little about the history of airports? This exhibition highlights the work of Fentress Architects, a firm based in Denver, that's responsible for some of the most fascinating transport hubs on earth.

Museum: The Norton Museum

Dates: June 21 - September 2, 2012

If in Florida, definitely don't miss this show. Who doesn't love music photography or down and dirty juke joints? There are 75 photos in total — more than enough to extend the energy of powerful places, spaces, and wicked live performances.

Museum: High Museum of Art Atlanta

Dates: June 9 - September 2, 2012

Hale Woodruff's renowned Talladega murals, portraying heroic efforts to resist slavery, have never been shown to a national audience. Considered one of the painter's greatest achievements, the monumental canvases have undergone conservation in a special collaboration between the High Museum of Art and Talladega College in Alabama. How this benefits you? It's an unprecedented opportunity to check out some of the most important work in the history of American art.

Museum: Museum of the City of New York

Dates: May 18 - Sep 16, 2012

New York Fuckin' City! We love it. Painter Stone Roberts does, too. Don't miss the chance to check out the artist's monumental scenes capturing some of the Big Apple's most iconic spaces.

Museum: Contemporary Arts Center

Dates: May 12 - September 3, 2012

Greek artist, Jannis Varelas, is showing in the US for the first time this summer. All the work presented was produced during a three week residence at the CAC. It's all pretty awesome, much like the CAC itself. Also, who doesn't love Cinncinatti!

Museum: Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Dates: April 28 - July 29, 2012

Style, spirit, humor, and arresting simplicity of line, color, and form — now you know everything you need to know about Alex Katz. And, of course, you know not to miss an opportunity to view a vibrant collection of prints. Perfect summer shows are rarely so perfect.

Museum: The Warhol Museum (on view at Guardian Self-Storage)

Dates: June 24 - September 9, 2012

Andy Warhol is the most famous artist from Pittsburgh (Sorry, Mac Miller). Beyond Warhol, there is also a rich tradition of arts in the Steel City directly tied to the area's industrial heritage. Factory Direct shares the work of 14 established contemporary artists invited to have residencies at Pittsburgh-based factories and examine the culture and identity of the city.

Museum: MoMA

Dates: July 29 - November 5, 2012

Toys rule and well-designed toys are a true triumph. This exhibition shares some of the most intriguing objects prepared for young folks in the last hundred years. We should also mention this — smaller exhibitions like this one are what make MoMA really cool.

Museum: Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art

Dates: May 19 - June 17, 2012

Rick Prol is "Veteran Master of Gothic Angst." He's an artist that represents the old New York — that 1980s East Village punk life. His work is often fantastic, and portrays the grittiness and mayhem of NYC at its finest. Sounds good, right?

Museum: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dates: April 3 - September 3, 2012

You are going to the MET to see Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations anyway, so don't miss this extensive overview of drawings while you are there. An overlooked highlight of the MET is its extensive collection, and any opportunity to catch a glimpse of of it is glorious.

Museum: The de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University

Dates: April 13 - July 1, 2012

We love bikes. We love art. This show is a no-brainer. The de Saisset Museum is also showing an exhibition mixing print-making and tattooing, Indelibly Yours, so a visit to Santa Clara basically puts you in the bonus.

Museum: Philadelphia Museum of Art

Dates: July 1 - October 28, 2012

Using Polaroid film, Mary Ellen Mark documents that quintessential American adolescent coming-of-age ritual, Prom. Some images might make you laugh, others will definitely make you cringe. All are guaranteed to make you remember your teen years.

Museum: Milwaukee Art Museum

Dates: June 1 - September 9, 2012

Paris is the new Miami (Thanks, rappers). Before overt glitz, glamour, and a sea of Goyard accessories blind us from the City's beautiful history, check out Posters of Paris. It's a document of tremendous French graphic design and of a particular cultural moment — perhaps the first time in history collecting street posters became a bonafide craze.

Museum: MOCA

Dates: May 27- September 3, 2012

The opening of Ends of the Earth is momentous, in that, it really is the first large-scale, historical-thematic exhibition to deal broadly with Land art. It's a genre of art that's been overlooked and undervalued, and as you may have guessed, might be difficult to exhibit in a museum. The exhibition promises a comprehensive view of the political and social implications Land art has had worldwide, and you'd be crazy to miss another landmark show at MOCA following their run of awesome shows this past year.