5 Exhibitions Across the US You Can’t Miss This Spring

1. Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei

Seattle Art Museum, March 12–September 7, 2025

Ai Weiwei (b. 1957) knows how to shake things up. Whether by smashing ancient vases, turning LEGOs into fine art, or using one hundred million porcelain sunflower seeds to make a statement, Ai has spent four decades proving that art is made to make us think. Now, in his first U.S. retrospective in over a decade and his biggest yet, Ai Weiwei is taking over Seattle with Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei, an exhibition spanning 130 works from the 1980s to today.

Expect to see some of his most famous and provocative pieces, including Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn (1995), Study of Perspective (1995–2011), and Sunflower Seeds (2010), alongside never-before-seen works making their U.S. debut. Head to the Seattle Asian Art Museum for Water Lilies (March 19, 2025–March 15, 2026), a mind-bending LEGO recreation of Monet’s masterpiece, or stroll through the Olympic Sculpture Park, where his Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads (Bronze) (May 17, 2025–May 17, 2027) will be watching over the city.

2. Recasting the Past: The Art of Chinese Bronzes, 1100–1900

Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 28—September 28, 2025

Recasting the Past: The Art of Chinese Bronzes, 1100–1900 at The Met unveils a lesser-known but fascinating chapter in Chinese art history, where artists worked to reinvent the past.

For centuries, Chinese bronze vessels symbolized power and ritual. But starting in the 1100s, artists and scholars transformed these artifacts into something entirely new. This exhibition traces how ancient designs were reimagined. What were once food and wine containers became incense burners and vases. While this era is deemed separate from the Chinese Bronze Age, Recasting the Past foregrounds these innovative masterpieces in their own right.

Featuring nearly 200 artifacts—drawn from The Met’s own collection and major loans from China, Japan, Korea, and beyond—the exhibition pairs bronzes with paintings, calligraphy, ceramics, and jades to show the influence of the past in Chinese art across centuries.

New York is brimming with must-see exhibitions this spring. While you’re at The Met, check out Monstrous Beauty: A Feminist Revision of Chinoiserie (March 25–August 17) and Sargent and Paris (April 27–August 3).

3. Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits

Museum of Fine Arts Boston, March 30–September 7, 2025

Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits at the MFA Boston takes you to the heart of one of the artist’s most touching friendships, Vincent van Gogh’s (1853–1890) bond with a local postman and his family in Arles, France.

Between 1888 and 1889, Van Gogh painted Joseph Roulin, his wife Augustine, and their three children in a series of portraits. The Roulin family became Van Gogh’s connection to a sense of home and belonging. This is the first-ever exhibition dedicated entirely to these works, offering an intimate look at how Van Gogh saw both his subjects and himself.

With around 20 Van Gogh paintings—including Postman Joseph Roulin (1888) and Lullaby: Madame Augustine Roulin Rocking a Cradle (La Berceuse, 1889)—the exhibition reunites works from the Van Gogh Museum, MoMA, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Musée d’Orsay. Visitors can also explore the artist’s influences, from Japanese woodblock prints to Dutch portraiture, and even read letters written by Postman Roulin himself. These will add a rare, personal touch to Van Gogh’s story, revealing a man searching for connection as he grappled with his mental health and artistic ambitions.

4. Frida Kahlo’s Month in Paris: A Friendship with Mary Reynolds

Art Institute of Chicago, March 29–July 13, 2025

You might not know this story of Frida Kahlo (1907–1954). Frida Kahlo’s Month in Paris: A Friendship with Mary Reynolds at the Art Institute of Chicago unveils the Mexican artist’s brief yet dramatic time in France in 1939, a trip that turned complicated but resulted in an unexpected friendship with Mary Reynolds (1891–1950), an American avant-garde bookbinder deeply embedded in Paris’s Surrealist circles.

Kahlo arrived in France at the invitation of the writer and poet André Breton, who had plans to exhibit her work in Paris. But instead of a warm welcome, she found artistic pretension, conflict, and frustration. Until she crossed paths with Reynolds. Their friendship became a refuge for Kahlo, especially when she fell ill and Reynolds took her into her home, a sanctuary filled with works by Marcel Duchamp (her partner), Constantin Brâncuși, Alexander Calder, and Jean Cocteau.

With Kahlo’s paintings, Reynolds’s book bindings, letters, photographs, and archival materials, this exhibition explores a pivotal but often overlooked moment in Kahlo’s career. Through approximately 100 objects, we see Kahlo navigating Surrealism and finding solidarity in Reynolds, a woman who, like her, carved out an artistic identity while living in the shadow of a famous partner. Frida Kahlo’s Month in Paris does not only tell the story of Kahlo’s art. It’s a story about resilience, inspiration, and how sometimes the right friendship can change everything.

5. Rachel Ruysch: Nature into Art

Toledo Museum of Art, April 12–July 27, 2025

Rachel Ruysch (1664–1750) became one of the most sought-after painters of her time when women’s artistic careers were often stifled. The Toledo Museum of Art’s upcoming exhibition, Rachel Ruysch: Nature into Art, is the first monographic exhibition dedicated to Ruysch.

Ruysch’s extraordinary still-life paintings were deeply informed by her knowledge of botany and anatomy gained from her father, the scientist Frederik Ruysch. This background, combined with her meticulous technique, made her compositions breathtakingly lifelike and full of botanical diversity, insects, and hidden symbolism. Despite raising eleven children, Ruysch built a remarkable career. She is the first female member of the Hague’s artist guild, a court painter, and one of the highest-paid artists of her day.

The exhibition brings together Ruysch’s most important works from European and American collections; this also includes paintings never shown before. The exhibition will also highlight her sister Anna Ruysch, who was also a flower painter. Ruysch’s art reveals the intersections of painting, science, and nature. This is a rare chance to see the work of a woman who defied expectations, turned flowers into high art, and painted until the age of 83. If you think you’ve seen every great Dutch master, think again.

As the flowers bloom and the sun begins to shine, this spring offers an unparalleled opportunity to engage with art. From the powerful narratives of Ai Weiwei to the intimate portraits of Van Gogh, these exhibitions across the U.S invite you to explore the intricate relationships between artists, their subjects, and broader cultural contexts.

Whether you’re an art aficionado or just looking for a day out, these exhibitions will ignite your imagination and deepen your appreciation for art. So grab your friends and get ready to discover the most captivating of the art world this spring.