5 Must-See Summer Exhibitions in New York

New York's art scene is thriving this summer, despite long days and hot nights across the northern hemisphere, a typically quieter time in the arts calendar.

Ocula Advisory shares a selection of five exhibitions to see, from a provocative group show of 'ugly' paintings at Nahmad Contemporary and the ceramic wonders of Doyle Lane at David Kordansky Gallery to Heji Shin's striking imagery at 52 Walker and Maureen Dougherty's curious portraits at Cheim & Read.

Doyle Lane, Weed Pot (c. 1960–1978). Glazed ceramic. 12.1 x 10.2 x 10.2 cm. Courtesy David Kordansky Gallery, New York. Photo: Jeff McLane.

1. Doyle Lane at David Kordansky Gallery (23 June–4 August 2023)

A master of glazes, Doyle Lane's (1923–2002) charming series of ceramics is on view at David Kordansky Gallery in the late artist's first solo exhibition in New York, Weed Pots (23 June–4 August 2023).

From small, squat orbs to great swelling spheres, the American ceramicist's 'weed pots' (c. 1960–1978) showcase deeply textured glazes and rich hues.

Despite nearly 100 works on view, each pot has been given enough space to be admired individually. Vessels with rough and bumpy surfaces in brilliant colours like saffron yellow and flaming orange sit neatly atop crisp white plinths.

A key figure in the community of Black artists in Los Angeles after World War II, Doyle continues to be celebrated for his innovative approach to art-making and his then radical blurring of boundaries between fine art and craft.

Exhibition view: Group Exhibition, Ugly Painting, Nahmad Contemporary, New York (26 June–26 August 2023). Courtesy the artist and Nahmad Contemporary, New York. Photo: Tom Powel.

2. Ugly Painting at Nahmad Contemporary (26 June–26 August 2023)

Nahmad Contemporary's provocatively titled group exhibition, Ugly Painting (26 June–26 August 2023), summons a celebration of all painting grotesque, loud, confusing, and confrontational.

The exhibition features works by George Condo, Shuriya Davis, Carroll Dunham, and Jana Euler, among others, who look to the power of painting beyond the decorative and polite.

Works like Rita Ackermann's Do's and Dont's Nurses (United) (2008–2009) present chaotic swirls of lurid yellow weaved between ghostly figures, and streaks of dripping dark red paint.

Delving into visions of the abnormal, works on view jolt us from our comfort zone, offering aggressive brushwork, conflicting palettes, and misshapen form. Together, they confirm the very powerful and sublime nature of ugliness in painting.

Maureen Dougherty, YOUNG ASIAN WITH PANSY AND IPHONE (2023). Oil on canvas. 121.9 x 91.4 cm. Courtesy the artist and Cheim & Read, New York. Photo: Alex Yudzon.

3. Maureen Dougherty at Cheim & Read (11 July–16 September 2023)

Maureen Dougherty's portraits linger between being direct and sincere. Highly influenced by modernist figurative painters such as Henri Matisse and Alex Katz, her paintings assert a distinctly contemporary spirit in her subjects' gazes.

For her first solo exhibition at the gallery, Cheim & Read presents Borrowed Time (11 July–16 September 2023), a show of paintings of people from contemporary life.

The Manhattan-based artist uses appropriated images from OnlyFans to create raw portraitures. Her palette unites muted tones of beige and brown with moments of bright jewel-toned colour emerging through expressive brushstrokes.

Many of Dougherty's subjects are masked, revealing only their eyes, lips, tongues, or teeth. Through these features, the artist draws attention to the different ways people seek a lust for life in an alienating and polarised society.

Heji Shin, Work in progress (2023). © Heji Shin. Courtesy the artist and 52 Walker, New York.

4. Heji Shin at 52 Walker (21 July–7 October 2023)

Photographer Heji Shin presents a new body of work at David Zwirner's 52 Walker gallery for the artist's first solo exhibition in New York since 2020.

THE BIG NUDES (21 July–7 October 2023) explores consciousness, the brain, and physicality. The Seoul-born German artist introduces recent works, including a series of MRI scans that document sections of her own brain.

Interested in turning the camera inwards, on ourselves and each other, Shin's exhibition reveals the physical inner workings of her brain, alongside a presentation of work that intrigues and provokes her audience.

Her striking, and at times, challenging imagery considers the stimulating effects that various encounters and interactions in contemporary society and culture have on us.

Cathy Josefowitz, Untitled (c.1974). Oil on cardboard. 97.7 x 68 cm. © Estate of Cathy Josefowitz. Courtesy Hauser & Wirth, New York.

5. Cathy Josefowitz at Hauser & Wirth (11 May–22 July 2023)

A celebration of Cathy Josefowitz's (1956–2014) infinite imagination, Forever Young (11 May–22 July 2023) features the late artist's paintings, works on paper, and footage of her choreographic work.

Born in New York and raised in Switzerland, Josefowitz was fascinated with bodily experience and self-expression. In her early works, she explored different ways of depicting the human body, sketching her subjects in various poses to draw attention to their physical and internal presence.

From lovers embracing in tender moments to figures enjoying the solitude of the everyday, Josefowitz's portraits capture the essence and intimacy of the human spirit.

Of her practice, Josefowitz said, 'Painting is the only thing I know how to do, it's like breathing, it's natural. I paint because I need to, because if I don't paint, I go crazy I need to express, it's my way of existing.'

Main image: Exhibition view: Group Exhibition, Ugly Painting, Nahmad Contemporary, New York (26 June–26 August 2023). Courtesy Nahmad Contemporary, New York. Photo: Tom Powel.