Three New York Exhibitions to Build an Autumn Around
Rembrandt at the Morgan, Lichtenstein at the Whitney and Surrealist books at MoMA: three exhibitions, their curators and how to plan a visit.
New York’s autumn museum circuit offers three very different ways of looking: Rembrandt’s world of migration, Roy Lichtenstein’s transformation of mass-produced images and the Surrealists’ experiments with the book itself. Each rewards a separate visit. Together, they make a useful route through Midtown, Murray Hill and the Meatpacking District, with closing dates extending into 2027.
Rembrandt at the Morgan: identity in motion
Opening October 23, Rembrandt’s Lions: Art and Exile in the Dutch Republic runs through January 31, 2027. Curator Sarah Mallory brings drawings, etchings and paintings into a conversation about migrants, refugees and exiles in the artist’s world. The lion becomes a way into questions about who belonged to the emerging Dutch Republic and how movement shaped its culture.
The Morgan combines prints from its collection with selected loans. This is an opportunity to look closely at works on paper rather than rush toward a single famous canvas. Mallory’s research connects Dutch and Flemish art with environmental history and colonial legacies. The exhibition guide has the dates and official visitor link.
Lichtenstein at the Whitney: images remade
Roy Lichtenstein: Like New, on view October 11, 2026–May 10, 2027, follows six decades across painting, drawing, sculpture, film and prints. Organized by Meg Onli and Alex Da Corte, it includes four re-created murals and is the artist’s first New York retrospective since 1993.
The familiar dots and comic-book imagery are a starting point. The exhibition asks visitors to consider how apparently mechanical pictures were made by hand, and how images change as they are copied and recirculated. In a daily life spent scrolling through altered pictures, that question has considerable force. Plan your Whitney visit.
Surrealist books at MoMA: objects that refuse to behave
At MoMA, The Surrealist Book: Tomorrow Lives in Mirrors runs October 4, 2026–January 23, 2027. Organized by Jodi Hauptman and Starr Figura, it brings together rare volumes by figures including André Breton, Claude Cahun, Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, Toyen and Unica Zürn.
Books become much more than containers for words. Unusual bindings, collage and unexpected materials turn reading into an encounter with an object. The presentation introduces rare artists’ books from the Helen and Sam Zell Collection. Allow time for close looking: a page, a binding and the relationship between text and image each carry part of the work. See the MoMA event guide.
Plan by neighborhood
Start with the museum that best suits your day rather than treating the three as a checklist. MoMA is in Midtown, the Morgan is at Madison Avenue and East 36th Street, and the Whitney anchors a downtown visit beside the High Line. Book admission through each museum and check its hours before setting out. Our New York calendar connects these longer exhibitions with the city’s dated benefits and performances.
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