Image via Complex Original
Whether or not you attend art museums and galleries regularly, it might befit you to give the experience a shot. 2013 brings a wealth of incredible exhibits that can't be missed. From James Turrell at the Guggenheim to Yoko Ono at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, check out our picks for 15 Must-See Art Exhibitions in 2013.
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"Girl with a Pearl Earring: Dutch Paintings from the Mauritshuis" at the de Young Museum
Girl with a Pearl Earring: Dutch Paintings from the Mauritshuis
Location: The de Young Museum
Dates: January 26 - June 2, 2013
Girl with a Pearl Earring: Dutch Paintings from the Mauritshuis, running alongside the Rembrandt's Century exhibition at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, explores Vermeer's enigmatic and iconic painting, Girl with a Pearl Earring. The exhibition will feature work by 30 artists from the Dutch Golden Age including Rembrandt, Hals, and Steen. It is a must-see for anyone intrigued by this key art historical work and its context.
"Fernand Léger and the Modern City" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Fernand Léger and the Modern City
Location: The Philadelphia Museum of Art
Dates: October 2013 - January 2014
This exhibition is inspired by a single painting: Fernand Léger's 1919 The City, which marked an intense experimental period in his work that lasted through the mid-1920s. The exhibition features 100 of his works, which show how he redefined the medium of painting and pushed into theater, graphic design, and mural design. This exhibition is both for fans of Léger and anyone interested in the development of painting in the 1900s.
"Applied Design" at the Museum of Modern Art
Applied Design
Location: The Museum of Modern Art
Dates: March 1 - January 31, 2014
Applied Design will take over the 3rd floor Architecture and Design galleries at MoMA in March and will examine how design affects every aspect of our life beyond aesthetics and deeper than purely function. Designers now have tools and resources available to them through the Internet, socially minded infrastructures and products, 5-D spaces, and bioengineering, which this exhibition takes into account. The photo above shows a mine detonator by designer Massoud Hassani that will be included in the show, alongside other pieces such as 14 video games including Pac-Man, The Sims, and Katamari Damacy.
"Les Ballets de Faile" at Lincoln Center
Les Ballets de Faile
Location: Lincoln Center
Dates: February 1 and May 29
While only on view two nights this year, during Art Series performances, the art commission of street artists FAILE to the New York City Ballet is an exciting one. The meeting of FAILE's fragmented style of appropriation and collage with the Ballet is not to be missed.
"Damage Control: Art and Destruction since 1950" at the Hirshhorn Museum
Damage Control: Art and Destruction since 1950
Location: The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Dates: September TBA 2013 - February 16, 2014
Damage Control: Art and Destruction since 1950 will explore destruction in international contemporary visual culture through a broad investigation of art's relationship to wider elements of culture and society in the aftermath of World War II, in the wake of the atomic age, and during 911. The exhibition considers the increased fear of terrorism worldwide and contextualizes a common artistic theme—destruction—in ways that can related to the present.
"James Turrell" at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
James Turrell
Location: The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Dates: June 21 - September 25
James Turrell's first exhibition in a New York museum since 1980 is cause for a celebration. His explorations of perception, light, color, and space will be realized in a site-specific installation, making the Guggenheim's iconic rotunda a space of shifting artificial and natural light. If you've ever seen photos of Turrell's work, you'll want to see what he's doing come June. We can hardly wait.
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"War Is Over! (If You Want It): Yoko Ono"
War Is Over! (If You Want It): Yoko Ono
Location: The Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
Dates: November 14 - 23
Musician and activist Yoko Ono has a big exhibition coming to Sydney this fall, functioning as a showcase of work produced over the past five years. It's part of the 2013–14 Sydney International Art Series and is being curated by Rachel Kent specifically for the MCA. The title comes from a billboard project Ono did with John Lennon in 1969 across public billboards in 12 cities worldwide. It will be interesting to see such a specific survey of her work.
"In Focus: Ed Ruscha" at the J. Paul Getty Museum
In Focus: Ed Ruscha
Location: The J. Paul Getty Museum
Dates: April 9 - September 29
Following a successful exhibition at Gagosian Gallery in New York last year, Ed Ruscha will be having a retrospective at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles in April. While no official details about it have been released besides the dates, it's both timely and appropriate given his legend as a quintessential California artist.
"Fifty Works for Fifty States: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection" at MOCA
Fifty Works for Fifty States: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection
Location: The Museum of Contemporary Art
Dates: February 10 - March 18
Legendary art collecting couple, Dorothy and Herbert Vogel, donated 50 works from their collection to five individual institutions across the United States in 2005, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles was one of them. Featuring work by Carl Andre, Lynda Benglis, Dan Graham, Joan Jonas, Edda Renouf, Richard Tuttle, and more, the 50-piece exhibition promises to be both an exciting grouping of works and an homage to the late Herb Vogel.
"Pump Me Up: D.C. Subculture of the 1980s"
Pump Me Up: D.C. Subculture of the 1980s
Location: The Corcoran Gallery of Art
Dates: February 23 - April 7
Pump Me Up: D.C. Subculture of the 1980s is the first exhibition to explore the thriving underground of Washington, D.C., during the '80s. Through photographs and artworks showing graffiti, Go-Go music, and the punk and hardcore scene, the exhibition explores much of D.C.'s unknown visual culture. It's curated by Roger Gastman, so you know there's the proper level of expertise behind the assembled material. Preview 15 of the pieces that will be in the exhibition here.
"NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star" at the New Museum
NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star
Location: The New Museum
Dates: February 13 - May 26
NYC 1993 is an exhibition showing exactly what the title suggests—work created in New York City during a very important year for art. It's as much a time capsule of the art created during 1993 as it is an indicator of controversial and important issues at the time: Attempts at peace in the Middle East, the AIDS crisis, plus national debates on health care, gun control, and gay rights. The title is inspired by the Sonic Youth album of the same name, which embodies the exchange between mainstream and underground at the time. This five-floor exhibition will undoubtedly be a highlight of 2013, as it's worth examining this important year in the contemporary moment.
"Claes Oldenburg: The Street and the Store" at the Museum of Modern Art
Claes Oldenburg: The Street and the Store
Location: The Museum of Modern Art
Dates: April 14 - August 5
Most know Claes Oldenburg for pushing the boundaries of sculpture, and his upcoming exhibition at MoMA will prove that, in addition to showing his influence on other mediums. It's the most comprehensive overview of his early career to date, and will include the famous The Store installation. Beyond his static works, Oldenburg's performances will be shown in films throughout the galleries, and each part will resemble a museum within a museum. It's been a long time coming, but this Oldenburg exhibit is poised to be a standout show.
"Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui" at the Brooklyn Museum of Art
Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui
Location: The Brooklyn Museum of Art
Dates: February 8 - August 4
This exhibit marks the first in a New York museum by El Anatsui and will have over 30 works in metal and wood that transform appropriated objects into site-specific sculptures. 12 of these are representative of defining moments his career—characterized by breathtaking, monumental wall and floor sculptures. The exhibition promises to examine cultural exchange in new and exciting ways, as El Anatsui and his work have done for many years.
"Eyebeam Resurfaces: The Future of the Digital Archive" at Eyebeam Art+Technology Center
Eyebeam Resurfaces: The Future of the Digital Archive
Location: Eyebeam Art+Technology Center
Dates: January 8 -12
The Eyebeam Art+Technology Center was one of many galleries and art institutions to suffer damage from Hurricane Sandy, which included almost losing its digital archive. Eyebeam is turning the almost tragic situation into a learning experience using lectures, workshops, a documentary film screening, and an exhibition (on view through January 12) to showcase the restoration process and how to properly archive and protect digital history. Curators Lindsay Howard and Jonathan Minard have said, "By sharing the story of Eyebeam's archive and the community effort to save this collection of digital history, we are engaging in a conversation about the long term future of digital media and what it takes to preserve the artifacts of our time." If you're based in NYC, this is a unique, must-see exhibition that resonates with anyone at all affected by the recent hurricane.
"Punk: Chaos to Couture" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Punk: Chaos to Couture
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Dates: May 9 - August 11
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute announced their spring 2013 exhibition titled PUNK: Chaos to Couture last September to wide acclaim. The co-chairs—Rooney Mara, Lauren Santo Domingo, Riccardo Tisci, and Anna Wintour— only make us want it to be May already. The exhibit, curated by Andrew Bolton with creative consultation from photographer Nick Knight, will feature 100 designs for men and women, juxtaposing original punk garments from the mid-1970s with contemporary fashion, and showing a wide range of punk visual symbols-from safety pins to razor blades and studs. If it's five thematic sections are any indication-Rebel Heroes, Pavilions of Anarchy and Elegance, Punk Couture, D.I.Y. Style, and La Mode Destroy-this will be a thorough exploration of punk culture past and present.
