10 Under-the-Radar NYC Galleries Worth a Visit (May 2026)
10 small and mid-size NYC galleries outside of Chelsea and Tribeca have strong programs this May. Below: each gallery's current show, the artist, the dates, and the practical info. Use this list if you've already seen the big Chelsea openings and want to find work you haven't seen photographed yet.
1. Women Across America: 1945 to 1979 at Eric Firestone Gallery
- Gallery
- Eric Firestone Gallery
- Address
- 40 Great Jones Street, NoHo
- On view
- May 12, 2026 – Jul 12, 2026
Women Across America: 1945 to 1979 is at Eric Firestone Gallery, 40 Great Jones Street, NoHo, on view May 12 – Jul 12, 2026. Mary Abbott, Elise Asher, Janice Biala, Elaine de Kooning, Sari Dienes, Martha Edelheit, Perle Fine, Helen Frankenthaler, Jane Freilicher, Grace Hartigan, Adaline Kent, Ida Kohlmeyer, Lee Krasner, Zoe Longfield, Beatrice Mandelman, Jeanne Miles, Betty Parsons, Pat Passlof, Jeanne Reynal, Miriam Schapiro, Edith Schloss, Hedda Sterne, Alma Thomas, Lucia Wilcox, Nina Yankowitz…
Plan thirty minutes minimum at Eric Firestone Gallery — the works reward time. The gallery is closed Mondays.
2. Land Before Time: Three Dinosaurs and a Gondola by John Chamberlain at Amanita
- Artist
- John Chamberlain
- Gallery
- Amanita
- Address
- 313 Bowery, NoHo
- On view
- May 9, 2026 – Aug 10, 2026
Land Before Time: Three Dinosaurs and a Gondola is at Amanita, 313 Bowery, NoHo, on view May 9 – Aug 10, 2026. Amanita is pleased to present, Land Before Time: Three Dinosaurs and a Gondola, an exhibition pairing three complete Maiasaura fossil specimens with Gondola Marianne Moore by John Chamberlain. This marks the first time a family group of Maiasaura dinosaurs has been exhibited together.
Through August 10, 2026. Amanita keeps standard NYC gallery hours, Tuesday through Saturday.
3. Lost on a Two Way Street by Kim Dacres at Charles Moffett
- Artist
- Kim Dacres
- Gallery
- Charles Moffett
- Address
- 394 Broadway, Chinatown
- On view
- May 7, 2026 – Jun 21, 2026
Lost on a Two Way Street is at Charles Moffett, 394 Broadway, Chinatown, on view May 7 – Jun 21, 2026. Charles Moffett is pleased to present Lost on a Two Way Street, a solo exhibition of new works by Kim Dacres, a first-generation American sculptor of Jamaican descent, who lives in Harlem and works in the Bronx. An expansion upon Dacres’ 2025 body of work, Crossroads Like This, this exhibition marks the artist’s second solo show with the gallery.
Worth combining with the nearby galleries on the same block. Charles Moffett is closed Mondays.
4. How Asian Is It? at Milton Resnick and Pat Passlof Foundation
- Show
- How Asian Is It?
- Address
- 87 Eldridge Street, Chinatown
- On view
- Feb 13, 2026 – Jul 12, 2026
How Asian Is It? is at Milton Resnick and Pat Passlof Foundation, 87 Eldridge Street, Chinatown, on view Feb 13 – Jul 12, 2026. Emily Cheng, David Diao, Shirley Kaneda, Il Lee, Kikuo Saito, Shen Chen, Barbara Takenaga, Walasse Ting, Richard Tsao, Kim Uchiyama, Robert Yasuda, Charles Yuen “Asian American” became a category in the late 1960s, a grouping assembled by two Asian activist academics at UC Berkeley to foster political solidarity among members of a group that largely avoided such attempts at…
On view through July 12, 2026. Allow at least twenty minutes; the gallery is generally quietest on weekday afternoons.
5. Elite Fine Art by Tinmantis at Foreign & Domestic
- Show
- Elite Fine Art
- Artist
- Tinmantis
- Gallery
- Foreign & Domestic
- Address
- 24 Rutgers Street, Lower East Side
- On view
- May 22, 2026 – Jun 29, 2026
Elite Fine Art is at Foreign & Domestic, 24 Rutgers Street, Lower East Side, on view May 22 – Jun 29, 2026. He has slogans too. Things like: No friends, no trends. Did he make it up? He also likes to pose with weapons, but we'll get to that. A Testament In Defense of the Madman Known as Tinmantis I don't remember who first told me about Tinmantis, and I don't have time to figure it out. My memory is like a moldy Swiss cheese.
Foreign & Domestic is most easily reached by subway; check the gallery's hours before walking over, since most NYC galleries are closed Mondays.
6. Half in Love with Oblivion by Stephen Thorpe at DIMIN
- Artist
- Stephen Thorpe
- Gallery
- DIMIN
- Address
- 406 Broadway, Fl. 2, SoHo
- On view
- May 8, 2026 – Jun 14, 2026
Half in Love with Oblivion is at DIMIN, 406 Broadway, Fl. 2, SoHo, on view May 8 – Jun 14, 2026. "Those who travel to mountain tops are half in love with themselves, and half in love with oblivion" —Robert Macfarlane, Mountains of the Mind: A History of a Fascination Dimin is pleased to present Half in Love with Oblivion, an exhibition of new paintings by British-born, California-based artist Stephen Thorpe.
Plan thirty minutes minimum at DIMIN — the works reward time. The gallery is closed Mondays.
7. Entrance by Zachary Armstrong & Jackson Maximo Armstrong at Entrance
Entrance is at Entrance, 48 Ludlow Street, Chinatown, on view Apr 23 – Jun 7, 2026. Entrance is pleased to present Entrance, a solo exhibition of new work by Zachary Armstrong, featuring a series of encaustic paintings installed within a site-specific intervention by Armstrong, on the gallery’s ground level.
Through June 7, 2026. Entrance keeps standard NYC gallery hours, Tuesday through Saturday.
8. The Revenants of Our Founding Furies by Sedrick Chisom at Matthew Brown
- Artist
- Sedrick Chisom
- Gallery
- Matthew Brown
- Address
- 390 Broadway, Chinatown
- On view
- May 15, 2026 – Jun 16, 2026
The Revenants of Our Founding Furies is at Matthew Brown, 390 Broadway, Chinatown, on view May 15 – Jun 16, 2026. In these new paintings of Sedrick Chisom’s, his figures are more grounded than before. Their bodies have more weight and volume, a more solid outline—but many other parts of this world are merging. Imagined sights, hallucinations, representations of representations, events that took place but have since been forgotten, strings of letters – many different versions and…
Worth combining with the nearby galleries on the same block. Matthew Brown is closed Mondays.
9. Mothers of Time by Amorelle Jacox at Management
- Show
- Mothers of Time
- Artist
- Amorelle Jacox
- Gallery
- Management
- Address
- 39 East Broadway, Chinatown
- On view
- Apr 29, 2026 – Jun 8, 2026
Mothers of Time is at Management, 39 East Broadway, Chinatown, on view Apr 29 – Jun 8, 2026. Management is pleased to present Mothers of Time, Amorelle Jacox's debut solo exhibition with the gallery, on view in New York. Rooted in metaphysics, Jacox's painting practice navigates the relationship between the self and the cosmic through a unique synthesis of color field, transcendentalist, surrealist, and symbolist influences.
On view through June 8, 2026. Allow at least twenty minutes; the gallery is generally quietest on weekday afternoons.
10. Blooms Disrupted by Fred Tomaselli at James Cohan
- Show
- Blooms Disrupted
- Artist
- Fred Tomaselli
- Gallery
- James Cohan
- Address
- 48 Walker Street, Chinatown
- On view
- May 15, 2026 – Jun 28, 2026
Blooms Disrupted is at James Cohan, 48 Walker Street, Chinatown, on view May 15 – Jun 28, 2026. James Cohan is pleased to present Blooms Disrupted, an exhibition of new and recent work by Fred Tomaselli. This is Tomaselli's seventh solo exhibition with James Cohan. The gallery hosts an opening reception with the artist. For over forty years, Fred Tomaselli has invoked the power of nature through deftly constructed maximalist paintings and works on paper.
James Cohan is most easily reached by subway; check the gallery's hours before walking over, since most NYC galleries are closed Mondays.
How to plan a walk
These galleries cluster downtown — Chinatown, Two Bridges, the Lower East Side — with a handful uptown and in Brooklyn. Take the F to East Broadway for the downtown cluster, the 4/5/6 to 86th for the Upper East Side stops, and the L to Morgan for the Brooklyn options. Plan a Saturday + Sunday to cover all ten.
On the map
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Frequently asked
What NYC galleries are under-the-radar but worth visiting?
10 smaller galleries with strong programs in May 2026 — covering Chinatown, the Lower East Side, Two Bridges, the Upper East Side, and beyond. Full list above with the current show, the gallery, and the practical info.
How do I find smaller NYC galleries?
Open the Gallop app and filter by neighborhood — the map surfaces every gallery, not just the famous ones. Look outside Chelsea and Tribeca for spaces in Chinatown, Two Bridges, the Lower East Side, and Brooklyn.
Are smaller galleries less welcoming?
No — most are friendlier than the mega-galleries. Smaller spaces often have the gallerist sitting at the front desk; they're happy to talk through the show with you.
Should I make appointments for small galleries?
Walk-ins are fine for any gallery with posted open hours. Some appointment-only spaces require booking — those are flagged on Gallop's app and on the gallery's website.
