6 Under-the-Radar Art Shows to See in New York Right Now—and 3 to Look Forward To

A pleasing peacefulness in Yu Nishimura’s paintings perfectly matches the regal Upper East Side townhouse occupied by the gallery David Zwirner. This exhibition of introspective new paintings and works on paper, the Japanese artist’s first solo show in the US, is informed by a recent visit to his hometown about an hour south of Tokyo, where towering housing complexes abut fields of grass, forests, and vacant lots. In one group of paintings here, solitary figures roam in naturescapes tinged with quiet melancholy. His dreamlike arrangements of partially blurred and simplified forms—incorporating elements of street photography and anime—evoke the transience of memory and human connection.

Upcoming Shows We’re Looking Forward To

Teruko Yokoi in her Hotel Chelsea studio in 1959Photo: Charles Gimpel; courtesy of the estate of Teruko Yokoi

Teruko Yokoi, an undersung Japanese-born Swiss abstract painter who spent much of her career in the US, was known for her work combining modern American abstraction with traditional Japanese aesthetics. This exhibition, on view May 1 through June 14, spans the artist’s career from the late ’50s to the early 2000s, focusing specifically on the Japanese dance-drama Noh as an influence on Yokoi’s practice. One of the few women artists in the 1950s New York milieu of Abstract Expressionism, she lived in the Chelsea Hotel for a spell with her husband, the painter Sam Francis; later in May the iconic hotel will unveil a Japanese restaurant named in her honor, showcasing eight works by Yokoi from its collection.

Hilma af Klint. Tulipa sp. (Tulip). Sheet 35 from the portfolio Nature Studies. May 20, 1920. Watercolor, pencil, ink, and metallic paint on paper, 19 5/8 × 10 5/8 in. (49.8 × 27 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Committee on Drawings and Prints Fund and gift of Jack Shear, 2022