This fall is phenomenal for the biggest names in modern art in NYC. Huge name artists just arrived at three of New York’s biggest museums within the same three weeks. These 3 exhibits are abstract Expressionists Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock (open at The Met on October 4), pop legend Roy Lichtenstein (follows at the Whitney on October 11) and modern sculpture pioneer Constantin Brancusi (lands at MoMA on October 25). What a time for modern art in NYC!
We ranked these exhibitions depending on the rarity and scale of it.
Dates: October 4, 2026 – January 31, 2027
Where: The Met Fifth Avenue
It is the first major New York exhibition devoted to either artist in more than 20 years. It brings more than 120 paintings, drawings, works on paper and documents, gathered from over 80 lenders from all the world.
For the longest time, Lee Krasner was remembered mainly as “Pollock’s wife.” This exhibition fixes that. The Met presents the two artists as equals, telling their story in 12 chapters from the 1930s through each artist’s late work. You will see Pollock’s famous drip paintings on one side, Krasner’s cut-and-reassembled collages on the other.
Dates: October 25, 2026 – February 27, 2027 ·
MoMA has the rarest show. Constantin Brancusi left all his contents in his Paris studio to France in 1957, and that became a museum-within-a-museum known as the Atelier Brancusi. It is currently closed for renovations, like the Centre Pompidou that houses it. That is why the sculptures that hardly ever travel are coming to New York.
MoMA is pairing the Parisian collection with its own famous Brancusi collection, plus photographs, films, furniture and archival material. The focus is the studio itself, which Brancusi spent four decades shaping in what it looks like.
When Brancusi first saw the Manhattan skyline in 1926, he said it looked like his studio, so there’s also a lovely New York connection to the exhibit.
In May 2026, Brancusi’s bronze head Danaïde (1913) sold for $107.6 million. This is rare enough!
Why not #1? Brancusi’s polished and sometimes simple forms reward slow looking of the audience. That’s beautiful, but it is a quieter experience than the Krasner and Pollock drama, and it opens later in the season. Plus many of you might have seen it in Paris already.
Where: Whitney Museum of American Art, Meatpacking District
Put this at #1 if you want the most fun. Like New is built around one idea: how Lichtenstein kept reinventing his own images. The Whitney has deep roots with Lichtenstein. It started collecting his work in 1966 and now owns 443 objects by the artist. The show was originally planned for his 100th birthday and was later postponed into 2026.
Lichtenstein hand-painted images that imitated cheap mass printing and it is fun to see – bold outlines, primary colors and speech bubbles have been borrowed by fashion for 60 years.
Why it’s #3? We ranked it third because Lichtenstein’s comic style is already everywhere (cups, notebooks, clothing) The other two shows offer work that is more rare to be seen.
The big three aren’t the whole story. The season also includes:
Also at MoMA: The Surrealist Book opens October 4 and runs through January 23, 2027. Pair it with Brancusi on the same visit.
Krasner and Pollock: Past Continuous opens at The Met Fifth Avenue on October 4, 2026 and runs through January 31, 2027.
Brancusi: The Artist and His Studio is on view at MoMA from October 25, 2026 to February 27, 2027, on the sixth floor.
Roy Lichtenstein: Like New opens at the Whitney Museum of American Art on October 11, 2026.
We rank Krasner and Pollock: Past Continuous at The Met first. It’s the first major New York show for either artist in more than 20 years, with over 120 works.
Yes. It includes rarely loaned sculptures from the Atelier Brancusi in Paris, which is closed for renovation. That makes this a rare chance to see them outside France.
Yes, if you start early. The Met, MoMA and the Whitney are all in Manhattan, and you can visit them in that order from north to south. But we don’t recommend that, as it will be overwhelming.
If you only have time to see one show this fall, go and see Krasner and Pollock at The Met. If you love sculpture and rare objects, don’t miss Brancusi at MoMA. If you want color, humor, and a great outfit photo, head to Lichtenstein at the Whitney.
