Outdoor & Public Art Installations in NYC (May 2026)
8 outdoor and public-facing art installations are on view across NYC this May. Plazas, rooftops, gardens, ground-floor windows, sidewalk-visible installations, and works pulled out of the white box and into the city. Every site below is in the five boroughs and free to visit.
Below is the list — title, artist, gallery or site, neighborhood, end date — with notes on access, daylight constraints, and how to plan.
1. Ten to Get Ready, and Ten to Go by Ce Roser at Sebastian Gladstone
- Artist
- Ce Roser
- Gallery
- Sebastian Gladstone
- Address
- 36 White St, Tribeca
- On view
- May 1, 2026 – Jun 14, 2026
Ten to Get Ready, and Ten to Go is at Sebastian Gladstone, 36 White St, Tribeca, on view May 1 – Jun 14, 2026. Recently I paid a visit to Ce Roser’s New York studio on the Upper West Side. I exclaimed at the expansive views from her windows of the Hudson River. She showed me a tiny evocative watercolor that she had painted of her view with bare trees of Riverside Park in the foreground and towers in New Jersey on the distant horizon.
2. Upon a Machine by Tromarama at The Kitchen at Westbeth
- Show
- Upon a Machine
- Artist
- Tromarama
- Gallery
- The Kitchen at Westbeth
- Address
- 163B Bank St, 4th Floor, West Village
- On view
- Apr 23, 2026 – Jun 14, 2026
Upon a Machine is at The Kitchen at Westbeth, 163B Bank St, 4th Floor, West Village, on view Apr 23 – Jun 14, 2026. The Kitchen presents Tromarama: Upon a Machine. Upon a Machine is a newly commissioned project for The Kitchen at Westbeth and marks the Indonesia-based art collective’s debut exhibition in the United States.
Plan twenty to thirty minutes; most NYC galleries are closed Mondays. Check the gallery's posted hours before you go.
3. 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 at Peter Freeman
- Show
- 5, 7, 9, 11, 13
- Gallery
- Peter Freeman
- Address
- 140 Grand St, SoHo
- On view
- Apr 28, 2026 – Jun 21, 2026
5, 7, 9, 11, 13 is at Peter Freeman, 140 Grand St, SoHo, on view Apr 28 – Jun 21, 2026. Walter De Maria Jasper Marsalis Park McArthur Sung Tieu Peter Freeman, Inc. is pleased to present 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, a group exhibition with sculptures and drawings by four artists. The show’s title comes from the work by De Maria, which comprises nine stainless steel polygonal rods that are each either 5-, 7-, 9-, 11-, or 13-sided.
4. Leon Kossoff by Leon Kossoff at Luhring Augustine
- Show
- Leon Kossoff
- Artist
- Leon Kossoff
- Gallery
- Luhring Augustine
- Address
- 531 West 24th Street, Chelsea
- On view
- Apr 16, 2026 – Jun 21, 2026
Leon Kossoff is at Luhring Augustine, 531 West 24th Street, Chelsea, on view Apr 16 – Jun 21, 2026. Luhring Augustine, in partnership with the Leon Kossoff Estate, is delighted to present an exhibition of works by the celebrated British artist, opening in our Chelsea location. Bringing together paintings from across Kossoff's career, the exhibition offers one of the most substantial presentations of the artist's work to be held in New York in recent decades.
5. Erase / Rewind by Jonathan Joosten at Goethe-Institut
- Show
- Erase / Rewind
- Artist
- Jonathan Joosten
- Gallery
- Goethe-Institut
- Address
- 30 Irving Pl, Gramercy
- On view
- May 14, 2026 – Jun 26, 2026
Erase / Rewind is at Goethe-Institut, 30 Irving Pl, Gramercy, on view May 14 – Jun 26, 2026. The Goethe-Institut New York presents Erase / Rewind, the first US solo exhibition by artist Jonathan Joosten. Featuring newly commissioned, site-responsive works, the exhibition explores how reality, value, and meaning are constructed through framing, repetition, and symbolic attribution.
Plan twenty to thirty minutes; most NYC galleries are closed Mondays. Check the gallery's posted hours before you go.
6. Early Prints, Drawings, and Sculptures by June Leaf at George Adams Gallery
- Artist
- June Leaf
- Gallery
- George Adams Gallery
- Address
- 38 Walker St, Tribeca
- On view
- May 7, 2026 – Jun 28, 2026
Early Prints, Drawings, and Sculptures is at George Adams Gallery, 38 Walker St, Tribeca, on view May 7 – Jun 28, 2026. The George Adams Gallery is pleased to present June Leaf: Early Prints, Drawings, and Sculptures, an exhibition bringing together a focused group of works that illuminate the early career of June Leaf (1929-2024), one of Chicago's most distinctive and independent artistic figures. Born and raised in Chicago, Leaf found an early champion in dealer Allan Frumkin, whose gallery.
7. Avanti! by Mark di Suvero at Paula Cooper
- Show
- Avanti!
- Artist
- Mark di Suvero
- Gallery
- Paula Cooper
- Address
- 534 W 21st St, Chelsea
- On view
- May 2, 2026 – Jul 18, 2026
Avanti! is at Paula Cooper, 534 W 21st St, Chelsea, on view May 2 – Jul 18, 2026. Paula Cooper Gallery presents an exhibition of large-scale sculptures and drawings by Mark di Suvero. Exhibited for the first time, Avanti! (c. late 1990s) is a human-intervention sculpture that incorporates a twenty-three-foot-long horizontal beam suspended within a vertical steel circle.
8. Heirloom by Kelly Akashi at Lisson
Heirloom is at Lisson, 508 W 24th St, Chelsea, on view May 13 – Jul 26, 2026. For her first exhibition with Lisson Gallery in New York, Kelly Akashi presents Heirloom, a new body of work that builds on her pivotal 2025 presentation in Los Angeles. Where that earlier exhibition examined inheritance through formal and material tension, Heirloom turns toward the conditions of loss and grief, asking how absence is held, transmitted, and given form.
How to plan a walk
Public works are scattered. Cluster two or three by subway: Chelsea + the High Line + Hudson Yards are one walk; downtown sites (Tribeca, SoHo, Chinatown) chain easily. Outdoor pieces are weather-dependent — bring sun, allow rain delays — and most are best viewed in the morning before the light gets harsh.
On the map
14 galleries · Open the full NYC map →
Frequently asked
Is all outdoor public art free?
Yes — every NYC public art installation is free. Some museums and gardens that house outdoor works charge admission for the indoor portions, but the outdoor pieces themselves are open and unticketed.
When can I see outdoor art?
Daylight hours are best. Some plaza and park installations are illuminated at night; rooftop pieces usually close at building hours. Check each site's listing before walking over.
Is the High Line free?
Yes — the High Line is free and open every day. The rotating public art program is curated by High Line Art.
Are there walking tours of NYC public art?
Yes — the Public Art Fund, High Line Art, and Madison Square Park Conservancy all offer free guided tours during peak weeks. Open the Gallop app to find what's on view today.
