Must-See Art Exhibitions in 2017

— Jan. 20, 2017 by YIART

1. James Turrell:Immersive Light

China, SHANGHAI | Long Museum (West Bund) | 2017. 01. 22 ~ 2017. 05 . 21

As one of the most influential contemporary artists, James Turrell devoted himself to extending the limitations of human perception and imagination. The exhibition , curated by Long Museum, compiles the artworks of Turrell’s five-decade career, which includes his iconic light projections, installations, prints and photography.

2. DAVID HOCKNEY

England, LONDON | TATE MUSEUM | 2017. 02. 09 ~ 2017. 05 . 29

David Hockney , one of the most popular and influential British artists of the twentieth century , approaches his 80th birthday this year. His passionate towards art makes him continue to change his style and ways of working, embracing new technologies as he goes.

3. Yayoi Kusama:My Eternal Soul

Japan, TOKYO | The National Art Center, Tokyo | 2017. 02 . 22 ~ 2017. 05. 22

Yayoi Kusama is no doubt one of the most well-known contemporary artist in the world. This year, Kusama returns to Japan for her biggest exhibition showcases a series of paintings that she has undertaken since 2009 . Moreover, some of 130 works have been selected from the series for the first-ever display in Japan.

4. Sanyu

Taiwan, TAIPEI | National Museum of History | 2017. 03. 11 ~ 2017. 07. 02

Regarded the Chinese Matisse, Sanyu was one of the earliest Chinese artists to study in Paris. Immersed in the heady environment of Paris school, he learned to fuse and integrate elements of his traditional Chinese training with aspects of the new modernist trends. Taking over National Museum of History almost in its entirety, the retrospective is set to be one of Sanyu’s biggest ever shows in Taiwan.

5. Beyond Stars: The Mystical Landscape

France, PARIS | Musée d'Orsay | 2017. 03. 14 ~ 2017. 06. 25

Since the Renaissance, the landscape has been recognized as a genre that conveys spiritual experiences and inner feelings of the artists that cannot be put into words. Organized in collaboration with the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, the exhibition aims to look at the mystical aspect of the Symbolist landscape, and the selection of works includes Gauguin, Denis, Monet, Klimt and van Gogh.

6. Michelangelo & Sebastiano

England, LONDON | THE NATIONAL GALLERY | 2017. 03. 15 ~ 2017. 06 . 25

The audience can learn about the extraordinary artistic relationship between two great Renaissance masters, Sebastiano del Piombo and Michelangelo through this exposition. Works that precede their meeting will also be on display, as well as examples of their extensive, intimate correspondence, providing behind-the-scenes insight into their personal lives, their concerns and moments of glory.

7. WHITNEY BIENNIAL 2017

America, NEW YORK | Whitney Museum of American Art | 2017 . 03 . 17 ~ 2017

Curated by Christopher Y. Lew and Mia Locks, the 2017 Whitney Biennial is the first to be held at the museum’s new downtown location, and the largest ever in terms of gallery space. Coinciding with an election year for the first time in two decades, the biennial will focus on the formation of the self and the individual’s place in a turbulent society.

8. Documenta 14 2017

Greece, Athens | 2017. 04. 08 ~ 2017. 07.16

Germany, KASSEL | 2017. 06.10 ~ 2017. 09.17

Documenta 14 will be organized by Adam Szymczyk. Former Director and Chief Curator of Kunsthalle Basel. This year, he divides the event between Kassel and the Greek capital, and has given the dual exhibition the working title “Documenta 14: Learning From Athens.” The curatorial team states that“ this decision has to do with the current social and political situation both in Europe and globally, which motivates artistic action.”

9. 2017 Venice Biennale

Italy, VENICE | 2017. 05. 13 ~ 2017. 11. 26

The upcoming 57th edition of the Venice Biennale exhibition, curated by Christine Macel, will be titled “Viva Arte Viva.” She states that “the role, the voice and the responsibility of the artist are crucial in the framework of contemporary debates.”

10. Frank Lloyd Wright at 150: Unpacking the Archive

America, NEW YORK | MOMA | 2017. 06. 12 ~ 2017. 10 . 01

Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the most prolific and renowned architects of the 20th century. The exhibition comprises approximately 450 works made from the 1890s through the 1950s, including architectural drawings, models, building fragments and scrapbooks , along with a number of works that have rarely or never been publicly exhibited.

11. 2017 Yokohama Triennale

Japan, YOKOHAMA | 2017. 08 . 04 ~ 2017. 11. 05

The sixth edition of the Yokohama Triennale is pleased to announce the exhibition title this year “Islands, Constellations and Galapagos.” The title, together with the concept, has been conceived as a result of a series of discussion by the Conception Meeting members, consisting of the directors and experts of different generations working in different fields.

12. Basquiat: Boom for Real

England, LONDON | Barbican Art Gallery | 2017. 09. 21 ~ 2018. 01. 29

Drawing from international museums and private collections, the exhibition brings together an outstanding selection of more than 100 works, many never before seen in the UK. This is the first exhibition to focus on the artist’s relationship to music, text, film and television, offering new research that will enable some of his most acclaimed paintings and drawings to be understood as never before.

13. Art and China after 1989:Theater of the World

America, NEW YORK | SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM | 2017. 10. 06 ~ 2018. 01 . 07

Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World is a major exhibition of contemporary art from China spanning 1989 to 2008. The exhibition is divided into six chronological and it also includes contributions by more than 70 artists and collectives, and features some 150 iconic and lesser-known works on loan from private and public collections around the world.