After Miami and before the new year, the art world calendar briefly loosens its grip, creating a rare pause that invites unhurried engagement with New York's most compelling museum exhibitions.
Late December marks one of the rare periods in which the commercial art world actually slows down. Most galleries close for at least a week starting around December 20, creating a brief lull in a calendar otherwise engineered for constant motion. But museums, with the exception of a few days, remain open, making this a good time to do something the hustle and bustle of the rest of the year seldom allows. Namely, not just catching an exhibition or two, but spending real time with them.
In a city like New York, where cultural events pile up at a pace that can leave even the most committed art professional scrambling to keep up, these all-too-brief holiday weeks offer a chance to finally see some of the shows at the city's globally envied museums that can get lost in the churn of gallery openings, art fairs and (for us) deadlines. What follows is our holiday gift to you: a roundup of the New York City museum shows we think you should make time for in the next few weeks.