NYC Sculpture Shows on View Right Now (May 2026)
8 sculpture-focused shows are on view in NYC this May, every gallery within the five boroughs, every show pulled live from the Gallop database. Bronze, ceramic, welded steel, cast resin, found-object assemblage, and stone — concentrated downtown with overflow into Chelsea and the Upper East Side.
Below: the artist, the title, the address, the end date, and what to actually look at when you get there.
1. Popeye by Martin Wong at P·P·O·W
Popeye is at P·P·O·W, 392 Broadway, Chinatown, on view Apr 18 – May 31, 2026. P·P·O·W is pleased to present Martin Wong: Popeye, the gallery’s sixth solo exhibition of the artist’s work, and the first solo show of Martin Wong in New York in over a decade. Co-curated by Mark Dean Johnson and Anneliis Beadnell, Popeye examines Wong’s lifelong preoccupation with artistic subcultures—namely comic book illustration and early tattoo imagery—as reoccurring moti.
2. Remain by Mitchell Charbonneau at Off Paradise
- Show
- Remain
- Artist
- Mitchell Charbonneau
- Gallery
- Off Paradise
- Address
- 120 Walker St, Chinatown
- On view
- May 7, 2026 – Jul 8, 2026
Remain is at Off Paradise, 120 Walker St, Chinatown, on view May 7 – Jul 8, 2026. Off Paradise is pleased to present Remain, Mitchell Charbonneau’s third solo exhibition with the gallery. The exhibition assembles a near-monochromatic body of copper and lead reliefs, shown alongside an entirely new series of painted glass and bronze sculptures. Across both bodies of work, a narrow register of whites and grays compresses perception, texture, and time.
3. Kitchen Table Imagery at Czech Center New York
- Gallery
- Czech Center New York
- Address
- 321 E 73rd St, Upper East Side
- On view
- Mar 31, 2026 – May 21, 2026
Kitchen Table Imagery is at Czech Center New York, 321 E 73rd St, Upper East Side, on view Mar 31 – May 21, 2026. Agáta Bourová, Kateryna Hermann Klyuchko, Josef Kocman, Nela Krulišová, Jimena Mendoza, Arťom Nurvan, Helena Patelisová, Trae Story, Antonín Tomášek, Josef Tomšej, Rozalie Vlachová Curated by Kryštof Hejný We gather around a table — where everyday life becomes a springboard for reverie and composition.
4. Forest of Stars by Sheida Soleimani at Yancey Richardson
- Show
- Forest of Stars
- Artist
- Sheida Soleimani
- Gallery
- Yancey Richardson
- Address
- 525 West 22nd Street, Chelsea
- On view
- Apr 16, 2026 – May 23, 2026
Forest of Stars is at Yancey Richardson, 525 West 22nd Street, Chelsea, on view Apr 16 – May 23, 2026. Yancey Richardson is pleased to present Forest of Stars, an exhibition by Iranian-American artist Sheida Soleimani, her first with the gallery. The exhibition builds upon her ongoing Ghostwriter series, which examines her parents' experiences of political exile following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, using it as a lens through which to consider broader systems of geopolitics, di.
5. The Pursuit of Harmony by Henri Matisse at Acquavella Galleries
- Artist
- Henri Matisse
- Gallery
- Acquavella Galleries
- Address
- 18 East 79th Street, Upper East Side
- On view
- Apr 9, 2026 – May 23, 2026
The Pursuit of Harmony is at Acquavella Galleries, 18 East 79th Street, Upper East Side, on view Apr 9 – May 23, 2026. Acquavella Galleries is pleased to present Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony, an exhibition featuring fifty paintings, works on paper, and sculpture by Henri Matisse on loan from museums, foundations, and private collections.
6. Richard Artschwager & Gary Hume by Richard Artschwager & Gary Hume at Sprüth Magers
- Artist
- Richard Artschwager & Gary Hume
- Gallery
- Sprüth Magers
- Address
- 22 E 80th St, 2nd Floor, Upper East Side
- On view
- Apr 14, 2026 – May 23, 2026
Richard Artschwager & Gary Hume is at Sprüth Magers, 22 E 80th St, 2nd Floor, Upper East Side, on view Apr 14 – May 23, 2026. Monika Sprüth and Philomene Magers are pleased to present a duo exhibition with works by Richard Artschwager and Gary Hume, marking the first time their work has been brought into dialogue. For this show—the first at the New York gallery for each artist—Hume selected his works in direct response to Artschwager's.
7. Spring Accrochage at Nicole Klagsbrun
- Gallery
- Nicole Klagsbrun
- Address
- 526 W 26th St, Room 318, Chelsea
- On view
- Mar 9, 2026 – May 23, 2026
Spring Accrochage is at Nicole Klagsbrun, 526 W 26th St, Room 318, Chelsea, on view Mar 9 – May 23, 2026. Devendra Banhart (Houston, Texas, 1981) is an internationally renowned musician considered a pioneer of the "freak folk" and "New Weird America" movements. His musical work exists symbiotically alongside his visual practice; both manifest as immediate, uncensored notations from his imagination.
8. No Still Waters by Phuong Nguyen at IRL Gallery
- Show
- No Still Waters
- Artist
- Phuong Nguyen
- Gallery
- IRL Gallery
- Address
- 86 Walker St, 2nd Floor, Chinatown
- On view
- Apr 24, 2026 – May 23, 2026
No Still Waters is at IRL Gallery, 86 Walker St, 2nd Floor, Chinatown, on view Apr 24 – May 23, 2026. Viewing Room Phuong Nguyen (b. 1992, Toronto, Canada) is a Tkaronto-based visual artist working across representational oil painting, wood carving, ceramics, and experimental weaving. Born and raised in Tkaronto, her practice examines the entanglement of ornament, identity, and power through a sustained engagement with Ornamentalism and Orientalism.
How to plan a walk
Cluster Chelsea (C/E to 23rd Street), Tribeca (1 to Franklin), Chinatown (F to East Broadway), and the Upper East Side (4/5/6 to 86th) into separate Saturday afternoons. Use Gallop's map to cluster by subway stop, save the shows you want, and pace the day around lunch.
On the map
14 galleries · Open the full NYC map →
Frequently asked
Where are the best sculpture shows in NYC right now?
Strong sculpture is on view across Chelsea blue-chips, Chinatown's small downtown spaces, and the Upper East Side townhouses. The shows below span bronze, ceramic, welded steel, plaster, found-object assemblage, and stone — concentrated in Manhattan.
Are these sculpture galleries kid-friendly?
Most NYC galleries welcome visitors of any age, but touching is rarely allowed. Look for signage at the entrance and ask the front desk if you're unsure.
How long should I plan per sculpture show?
Twenty to thirty minutes per gallery is comfortable for a small show; allow forty-five for ambitious survey-scale installations.
Is it appropriate to walk around the back of a freestanding sculpture?
Yes — sculpture is meant to be seen from multiple angles. Just keep a respectful distance, don't lean on plinths, and never touch unprotected surfaces.
