14 Must-See Art Shows to Check Out In January

Let's forget about the weather for a minute and get out and see some new gallery shows.  The pace of new openings is picking up nicely, plus there's a little time to see some of the good, local museum exhibitions.


Pavel Zoubok Gallery and Mixed Greens are co-hosting a group exhibition called "Hooray for HOLLYwood!" that opens on Thursday, January 9th, 6 to 8 p.m., at 531 West 26th Street.  In this case, the "Holly" refers to the incredible New York gallerist and collector Holly Solomon who passed away in 2002.  The show features works that represent her gallery's 30-year history and includes works by Laurie Anderson, Christo, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, Lisa Hoke, William Wegman and many more. It's up until February 8.

One of our favorite artists spotted at this year's Art Basel Miami Beach is having his first solo exhibition in the U.S. opening on January 9th. Li Hongbo opens "Tools of Study" from 6 to 9 p.m. at Klein Sun Gallery (525 West 22nd Street) and it will up until March 2.  The Chinese artists creates incredible sculpted busts that look like marble, but are actually made of paper and can be expanded like an accordion.  Don't miss this.  We'll post some videos on Friday in case you don't live in NYC.

David Zwirner (533 W. 19th Street) debuts a new film called Luanda-Kinshasa by Vancouver artist Stan Douglas on January 9th, 6 to 8 p.m., and on view until February 22nd.  The film is a documentation of a fictitious recording session set in Columbia Records' historic 30th Street studio known as The Church.

Chelsea's Martos Gallery (540 West 29th Street) opens a group show curated by Eddie Martinez called "Bad Fog" on January 9th from 6 to 8 p.m. with works by Bill Adams, Antoniadis & Stone, David Armacost, Liz Craft, Jennie Jieun Lee, Jesse Littlefield, Dan McCarthy and Ross Simonini.

Also on the 9th from 6 to 8 p.m., there's an opening of a group photo show celebrating the Image Gallery, a space on the Lower East Side that was open from 1959 to 1962. Works from over 20 acclaimed photographers from the period will be on view at Howard Greenberg Gallery () (41 East 57th Street) until February 15th.

On January 10th, 6 to 8 p.m., there's a cool exhibit of sculptures by John Ahearn that he did as a collab with Rigoberto Torres up in his South Bronx studio between 1981 and 1991.  Check it out at Alexander and Bonin (132 Tenth Avenue).

Gavin Brown's enterprise (620 Greenwich Street) opens shows by Alex Katz and the Miami-based artist/filmmaker Dara Friedman on January 11th, 6 to 8 p.m.  Both will be up until February 22nd.


Also on the 11th from 7 to 9 p.m., Jonathan LeVine Gallery (529 West 20th Street) opens a group show, "Based On Actual Events," with works by Alyssa Monks, Diego Koi, Eloy Morales and Joel Rea; and a show by Jesse Hazelip called "Cycle of Violence."


LAST CHANCE: If you haven't checked out the crazy group show at Fifteen Warren (15 Warren Street), be sure to get there quick because it's closing this Saturday, January 11th.  Curated by Abeline Cohen, Andrew Kass and Sean Vegezzi, there's a wild mix of art including everything from paintings to videos and live performances, all in a gutted, three-level space.  Open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. [Photo via Guest of a Guest]

The Suzanne Geiss Company (76 Grand Street) opens a show of photos by Paige Powell called "Jean-Michel Basquiat: Reclining Nude" on January 16th, 6 to 8 p.m.  It will be up until February 22nd.

There are free screenings of "The Disinherited" by Jay Scheib at AMC Empire (234 West 42nd Street) at 8 p.m. on January 15th and 22nd. This is a live-broadcast of an adaptation of Chekhov's play Platonov that will be performed simultaneously on stage at The Kitchen.  You need to RSVP HERE  for admission to the screening.

Hauser & Wirth (32 East 69th Street) opens their first New York exhibition devoted to Hans Josephsohn (1920 - 2012) on January 15th, 6 to 8 p.m. and up until February 22nd.  The Swiss sculptor is known for a lifetime of work devoted to the human figure and for his "search to express the humanity of the individual."

If you're heading up north for a little snowboarding, stop by MASS MoCA (North Adams, Mass.) and check out their major survey of works by the New York-based artist Izhar Patkin called "The Wandering Veil." The opening is on January 18th, 3 to 5 p.m.

The Clocktower Gallery, as you've probably heard, is no longer located downtown in Manhattan and is now an "institutional resident" at Dustin Yellin's Pioneer Works at 159 Pioneer Street in Red Hook, Brooklyn.  The first exhibition out there, "Dale Henry: The Artist Who Left New York," opens on January 19th and runs until February 28th.  The Alabama-born artist lived and worked in New York City until 1986 when he dropped out of the art world and moved to Virginia. Before he died in 2011, Henry gave all of his works to Alanna Heiss and Clocktower.

Save the date!:  In April, there's going to be a big celebration of the life and works of the late  New York City performance artist and beloved Paper theater critic Tom Murrin, aka the Alien Comic, with two full productions and readings of his influential plays, an art exhibit, street performances and, of course, a full-moon party.  You can help raise money for this special occasion by contributing to a Kickstarter campaign HERE.