The 19 Most Anticipated Art Exhibitions of 2014

Though 2013 may have been a big year for the art world, 2014 has shown no signs of slowing down in terms of game-changing exhibitions. In just a few weeks, "Based on Actual Events," a group exhibition celebrating the works of hyperrealistic painters Alyssa Monks, Diego Koi, Eloy Morales, and Joel Rea will open at Jonathan LeVine Gallery. Jeff Koons' highly anticipated retrospective at the Whitney Museum arrives in June, and Ai Weiwei's most exciting show yet, "Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz," will hit the Bay Area island in September.

Check out our list of The 19 Most Anticipated Art Exhibitions of 2014.

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Location: Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Dates: February 2 - July 20, 2014

There's more to fútbol than meets the eye. Fútbol, or football, has become a universally loved sport, not only because it's an engaging game to watch and play, but also because it has the ability to transcend limits of geographical location and identity. To celebrate the 2014 World Cup taking place in Brazil, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art will open "Fútbol: The Beautiful Game," an exhibition comprising thirty global artists, including works by Andy Warhol and Kehinde Wiley.

Location: Lazarides
Dates: January 31 - March 1, 2014

LA-based artist Sage Vaughn will return to Lazarides Rathbone with a solo exhibition on January 31 titled "Nobody's Home," where he's transferring his signature wildlife imagery into a more intimate setting. He aims to force viewers to accept his work in the same way that people accept emptiness and "unquestioningly consumes objects and occasions of mass appeal." It sounds dark, but it's still a must-see.

Location: Guggenheim Museum
Dates: February 21 to September 1, 2014

For the first time ever, the United States will see a comprehensive exhibition of futurist works, spanning the artistic movement's birth in 1909 until its end in 1944. Futurism, which originated and was explored mostly in Italy, glorified the concept of the future and was centered on technology and industrialization. From February 21 until September 1, visitors of the Guggenheim Museum will be able to observe over 300 works of architecture, design, fashion, film, photography, performance, and more.

Location: Pippy Houldsworth Gallery
Dates: March 13 - April 26, 2014

Come March 2013, Pippy Houldsworth Gallery will be transformed into a showroom for three masterful artists: Rosson Crow, Francesca DiMattio, and Mickalene Thomas. Viewers will get to see Crow's vibrant neon-colored paintings, DiMattio's disorderly, MC Escher-like murals, and Thomas' bedazzled portraits, embodying themes of female power. This triple threat of an exhibition is not one to miss.

Location: Dallas Contemporary
Dates: April 11 - August 24, 2014

Attending an exhibition of Richard Phillips' paintings might feel more like stepping into a realm of larger-than-life advertisements—perhaps a more accurate description of today's world than one might think. Phillips, whose vibrant, realistic paintings stem from real-life imagery, will be displaying his impressive paintings at Dallas Contemporary this spring.

Location: Kaikai Kiki Gallery
Dates: March 6, 2014 - TBA

Though not much is known about Aya Takano's upcoming show at Kaikai Kiki Gallery this March, perhaps the mystery is what's gotten us even more excited for it. Takano, a Superflat artist who was first trained under Takashi Murakami, incorporates memories from her childhood, her penchant for science fiction, and elements of anime and manga into her fantastic, dream-like renderings. The subject of her works are often nude, pre-pubescent girls—a commentary on the fleeting nature of childhood and the way girls are infantilized and objectified in otaku culture.

Location: Blum & Poe
Dates: March 1 - April 12, 2014

In 2013, Yoshitomo Nara took New York, showing a collection of his quirky renderings for a solo exhibition titled "Kulture of Kute" at Pace Gallery. Paintings and sculptures, all depicting his delightful, big-headed, and devil-eyed characters, filled the exhibition space. Those who missed out on Yoshitomo's 2013 show can rejoice over the fact that he will be returning stateside, settling down in Los Angeles, specifically. Beginning March 1, Blum & Poe will play home to another one of the Japanese pop artist's exhibitions.

Location: Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Dates: May 3 - October 5, 2014

Though Frida Kahlo may have been one of the most transgressive and uncompromising artists during her lifetime, the artist's famous self-portraits have become conventionalized representations of Latin American art since her death in 1954. Today, Kahlo's nontraditional views on femininity, sexuality, and social class have since been overshadowed by her very image. To confront this dilemma, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago will be opening "Unbound: Contemporary Art After Frida Kahlo" from May 3 to October 5, 2014. It will feature works by both Kahlo and a selection of contemporary artists who embody Kahlo's ideas and create to fight against patriarchy.

Location: Jonathan Levine Gallery
Dates: January 11 - February 8, 2014

"Based on Actual Events" is an appropriate name for the group exhibition happening at Jonathan LeVine Gallery from January 11 to February 8, 2014. The show spotlights works by Alyssa Monks, Diego Koi, Eloy Morales, and Joel Rea—artists who create hyper-realistic replicas of their subjects. Even Joel Rea's intense, ominous paintings are eerily photo-like.

Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Dates: January 14 - December 7, 2014

Guitar enthusiasts rejoice! From January 14 until December 7, an exhibition celebrating the creations of renowned guitar-maker and founder of C. F. Martin & Co., Christian Frederick Martin, will be displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Martin, who first learned to make instruments from the famous Johann Georg Stauffer, fashioned his own Viennese style of building instruments after discovering the Spanish-style guitar in the United States. "Early American Guitars: The Instruments of C. F. Martin" will include 35 of his creations from the Martin Museum in Nazareth, P.A., the Met, and many private collections.

Location: Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay
Dates: Sept. 27, 2014 - April 26, 2015

Though Ai Weiwei is still forbidden from leaving China, the bold, dissident artist will be taking on arguably his boldest, most revolutionary project yet, "Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz," an exhibition on one of the most notorious prisons ever. Alcatraz, which held some of history's most notorious criminals like Al Capone and George "Machine Gun" Kelly, will play home to a series of new work from Ai Weiwei. Though Weiwei has never stepped foot in Alcatraz, he is no stranger to prison, having spent 81 days in Chinese prison back in 2011.

"I have too many friends today who are still in jail," he told the New York Times. "The fact that people who are fighting for freedom have lost their freedom being incarcerated is more than ironic."

Location: New Museum
Dates: April 7 - June 22, 2014

With the lyrics and melodies of The National's "Sorrow" still ringing in the ears of those who watched their 6-hour performance art piece at MoMA PS1 last year, it's likely that Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson's durational performances will forever resonate throughout New York City. This April, Kjartansson will return to New York City and take over the New Museum's Fourth Floor gallery with "Ragnar Kjartansson: Me, My Mother, My Father, and I." It will consist of a new performance and video work from Kjartansson called Take Me Here by the Dishwasher — Memorial for a Marriage, consisting of ten musicians performing continuously throughout the whole duration of the show. Get ready for more Ragnar than ever.

Location: New Museum
Dates: January 22 - April 13, 2014

At the end of January, the New Museum's Fifth Floor gallery will be rebuilt into a spaceship as part of tranzit's "Report on the Construction of a Spaceship Module" exhibition. tranzit, which is composed of interconnected organizations situated in eastern Europe, will create the simulated interior of a spaceship reminiscent of Ikarie XB-1, a starship from the 1963 Czech sci-fi film. Displayed inside and around the vessel will be over fifty videos, sculptures, prints, and installations by Eastern European artists that tranzit has collaborated with in the the past.

Location: Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Dates: March 27 - July 28, 2014

Though the world was robbed of Francesco Vezzoli's much-anticipated "Vezzoli Church" exhibition, after he was forced to cancel his show at MoMA PS1, fans of the Italian artist will be glad to know that his show in LA will go on. At the end of March, Vezzoli will take over the United Artists Theatre located in downtown LA. The vintage cinema's display cases will exhibit Vezzoli's film posters, its powder rooms will house his sculptures, and his videos will be screened in the main hall.

Location: Whitney Museum of American Art
Dates: June 27 - October 19, 2014

As one of the most celebrated American artists today, Jeff Koons opened exhibitions at both Gagosian Gallery and David Zwirner, helped create Lady Gaga's ARTPOP album cover, stole the show at Art Basel Miami Beach, and broke the record for most expensive auction piece ever by a living artist...all in 2013. This year, Koons will finally have a retrospective dedicated to him, taking place from June 28 to October 19, 2014 at the Whitney Museum. The collection will feature 120 of his most iconic works, spanning from 1979 to the present.

Location: StolenSpace Gallery
Dates: March 7 - April 6, 2014

Cyrcle's art is all about revolution, disorder, and defying the system. Even the name of the crew's latest series, "Overthrone," has lawless, defiant overtones. Cyrcle, whose works explore destruction and rebirth, happiness and pain, and the fleeting nature of life in general, will open an exhibition at Stolenspace Gallery in March, so be on the lookout.

Location: Joshua Liner Gallery
Dates: February 27 - March 29, 2014

Pema Rinzin, who was born in Tibet but has traveled throughout the world painting and presenting his works, will put on an exhibition at Joshua Liner Gallery at the end of February. Brooklyn-based Rinzin founded the New York Tibetan Art Studio in 2007 to introduce Tibetan art to the public, but he's created some gorgeous paintings in recent years, as well. Many of his highly detailed and intricate paintings fuse mineral pigments with gold and call to mind the imagery of his homeland.

Location: Pace Gallery, New York
Dates: January 24 - February 22, 2014

"The idea becomes a machine that makes the art," Sol LeWitt wrote in 1967. In January, spectators can see this phenomenon for themselves at the late artist's solo exhibition, "Sol LeWitt: Horizontal Progressions," taking place at Pace Gallery. The show will feature a series of seven individual horizontal progressions by the artist.

Location: Museum of Modern Art
Dates: March 15 - June 22, 2014

From March 15 to June 22, the Museum of Modern Art's Special Exhibitions Gallery will become home to major works by the late Robert Heinecken, a cutting-edge artist who, in the 1960s, helped lay down the groundwork of the Los Angeles art scene. A total badass and self-proclaimed "para-photographer," Heinecken re-conceptualized the notion of photography. Instead of working directly with cameras, he experimented with print and collage-making, pulling images from publications, pornography, and television.