September art exhibitions 2025 highlight the diversity and energy of the global art scene. From major museum retrospectives in New York to emerging voices in Los Angeles, Paris, and Houston, this month offers a dynamic mix of perspectives. Each exhibition presents new ways of seeing history, identity, and resilience through the lens of contemporary art.
New York, USA — Sixties Surreal at the Whitney Museum
Opening September 24, the Whitney Museum of American Art presents Sixties Surreal, a bold reappraisal of American art from 1958 to 1972. Featuring works by 111 artists, including Diane Arbus, Yayoi Kusama, Andy Warhol, Romare Bearden, and Faith Ringgold, the exhibition uncovers how surreal tendencies fueled radical artistic freedom during a turbulent era.
Spanning painting, sculpture, photography, film, and assemblage, the show reexamines iconic figures alongside overlooked voices, highlighting how artists across the United States challenged convention through surreal experimentation.
Website: whitney.org
Instagram: @whitneymuseum
New York, USA — Rob Strati: Miniatures & Monuments at Fremin Gallery
From September 18 to November 2, Fremin Gallery presents Miniatures & Monuments, a new exhibition by Boston-born artist Rob Strati.
Expanding on his acclaimed Fragmented series, Strati explores memory and national identity through broken porcelain and ink drawings. Works include monumental American symbols like the U.S. Capitol and Mount Rushmore, each priced to reflect historic dates.
Alongside these are delicate miniatures depicting ships, windmills, and Blue Willow motifs. Strati transforms broken antique plates into reconstructed drawings, blending fragility with permanence and absence with form.
Website: fremingallery.com
Instagram: @fremingallery
Paris, France — Stephanie Jeanne Marie: Slow Looking
French artist Stephanie Jeanne Marie creates work that reclaims time in a culture of endless scrolls and short attention spans. Using raw pigment, charcoal, thread, and loose canvas, her practice rewards patience and presence.
Her recent Chakra Series explores the body’s energy centers through pigment, texture, and hand-stitching. Part of a growing international shift toward “slow art,” her work aligns with programs at the National Gallery, Tate, and The Met that encourage deeper engagement.
Website: studiostephaniejeannemarie.com
Instagram: @stephaniejeannemarie
Los Angeles, USA — North / South at Rajiv Menon Contemporary
Opening September 6, Rajiv Menon Contemporary presents North / South, a group exhibition spotlighting regional perspectives in South Asian art.
Artists Zahra Asim, Jatinder Singh Durhailay, Aiza Ahmed, Devi Seetharam, and Lakshmi Madhavan explore how Punjab and Kerala represent polarities of the subcontinent. From intricate paintings of domestic life to kasavu handloom weaving, the exhibition highlights regionalism as a powerful force in shaping contemporary practice.
On view through October 3, the show marks the Los Angeles gallery’s latest exploration of South Asia’s dynamic and diverse visual culture.
Website: rmenoncontemporary.com
Instagram: @rajivmenoncontemporary
Los Angeles, USA — Lee Moriarty: Balance at Night Gallery
Opening September 27, Balance marks the debut solo exhibition of artist and professional wrestler Lee Moriarty at Night Gallery.
Known for his career in lucha libre, Moriarty paints masked wrestlers not in combat, but in moments of calm. His eight new works depict luchadors birdwatching, building snowmen, or reclining in the sun—images that challenge stereotypes and highlight the duality between spectacle and self.
Following his sold-out debut at NADA Miami 2024, where a painting was acquired by the Pérez Art Museum Miami, Balance expands Moriarty’s unique crossover between art and wrestling. The exhibition runs through October 18, 2025.
Website: nightgallery.ca
Instagram: @nightgallery
Houston, USA — Untitled Art Launches in Texas
Untitled Art expands its reach with a debut edition in Houston at the George R. Brown Convention Center, September 18–21, 2025.
First-time exhibitors include Half Gallery (New York), presenting Daniel Heidkamp and Nathan Dilworth; Michael Kohn Gallery (Los Angeles), featuring Lita Albuquerque and Nir Hod; and Revolver Galería (Lima), bringing Latin American voices such as Jesús Ruiz Durand. Miami’s Spinello Projects highlights Reginald O’Neal and Jared McGriff, while Swivel Gallery (New York) presents sculptures by NH Depass.
The fair’s Nest sector showcases emerging galleries including Alice Amati (London), de boer (Los Angeles), and Megan Mulrooney (Los Angeles). Alongside exhibitions, Untitled Edit highlights Houston’s evolving cultural scene through conversations with local leaders.
Website: untitledartfairs.com
Instagram: @untitledartfairs
New York, USA — Porcelain War on PBS
Premiering September 29, the Oscar®-nominated documentary Porcelain War arrives on PBS as part of the POV series. The film follows Ukrainian artists Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko, and Andrey Stefanov as they resist war with clay and cameras, creating haunting porcelain creatures amid the destruction of Kharkiv.
Blending vérité with hand-painted art and animation, directors Brendan Bellomo and Leontyev reveal how creativity can endure under siege. The film, winner of the 2024 Sundance Grand Jury Prize, will stream until December 28, 2025.
Website: pbs.org/pov
Instagram: @povdocs
Looking ahead
These September art exhibitions 2025 highlight the strength and resilience of artistic voices across continents. From revisiting American Surrealism at the Whitney to celebrating emerging practices in Los Angeles and Houston, the fall season reveals how art continues to question, transform, and inspire. Stay tuned for upcoming #TASTE coverage leading into Miami Art Week 2025.
