Though it might be considered sacrilegious to miss out on a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, Bostonians should also consider perusing the highly underrated art world of their home city this summer. Sure, you can go on a historical walking tour or try some world-famous New England clam chowder, but why not try wandering off the beaten path? All along Harrison Avenue and Newbury Street are countless galleries filled with shows ranging from feminist paintings to fairy tale-inspired installations. And let’s not forget museums; The Museum of Fine Arts is currently hosting a comprehensive exhibition of Modern Art masters that include Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, and Frida Kahlo. Even the Harvard Art Museums—not directly in Boston proper, but still—have up some unique and exciting exhibitions such as Everywhen: The Eternal Present in Indigenous Art from Australia. Boston itself is its own incredible art world with so much to offer, so make sure you squeeze it into your itinerary after exploring Faneuil Hall.
And definitely, definitely don’t forget to properly “pahk ya cahr” while you’re at it. Nothing puts a damper on artistic genius like a parking ticket.
Elizabeth Awalt, Fruiting Bodies (2012). Courtesy of Matter & Light Fine Art.
Exhibition: “Summer 2016 Group Show”
When: June 2–August 31, 2016
Where: Matter & Light Fine Art, 63 Thayer Street, Boston, MA
Luc Leestemaker, Landscape 2007.01 (2007). Courtesy of DTR Modern Galleries.
Exhibition: “Luc Leestemaker Collection”
When: July 8–August 12, 2016
Where: DTR Modern Galleries, 167 Newbury Street, Boston, MA
Sand T Kalloch, A Thousand Springs #9357. Courtesy of Lanoue Gallery.
Exhibition: “Sand T Kalloch”
When: July 6–July 31, 2016
Where: Lanoue Gallery, 450 Harrison Avenue #31, Boston, MA
Walid Raad, Section 88: Views from inner to outer compartment_ACT VI_Scene II (2013). Courtesy of Barbara Krakow Gallery.
Exhibition: “Walid Raad: One Wall, One Work”
When: May 11–July 29, 2016
Where: Barbara Krakow Gallery, 10 Newbury Street, Boston, MA
Bianca Boragi, Rapunzel (2014). Courtesy of the Yve Yang Gallery.
Exhibition: “Merry Go Round”
When: July 1–August 10, 2016
Where: Yve Yang Gallery, C8B, 460 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA
Benoît Trimborn, La nuit, la rivière, le jour (2016). Courtesy of M Fine Arts Galerie.
Exhibition: “Patrick Pietropoli & Benoit Trimborn: Town & Country”
When: July 1–July 31, 2016
Where: M Fine Arts Galerie, 61 Thayer Street, Boston, MA
Stephen Wilkes, Times Square, New York City (2010). Courtesy of Robert Klein Gallery.
Exhibition: “Steven Wilkes: Day to Night”
When: May 7–August 20, 2016
Where: Robert Klein Gallery, 38 Newbury Street, Boston, MA
Nalani Malani, installation view In Search of Vanished Blood (2012). Courtesy of Galerie Lelong, NY.
Exhibition: “Nalini Malani: In Search of Vanished Blood”
When: June 29–October 16, 2016
Where: The Institute of Contemporary Art, 25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston, MA
Jackson Pollock, detail of Number 10, 1949 (1949). Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Exhibition: “Making Modern”
When: July 16–January 15, 2018
Where: Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA
Exhibition: “Everywhen: The Eternal Present in Indigenous Art from Australia”
When: February 5–September 18, 2016
Where: Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA
Alicia Gibson, Weird as I Wanna Be (2013). Courtesy of Carroll and Sons.
Exhibition: “NO BOYS ALLOWED”
When: June 18–July 28, 2016
Where: Carroll and Sons Gallery, 450 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA
Frederick Lynch, Divided Man 29 (Praised be the fathomless Universe). Courtesy of Miller Yezerski Gallery.
Exhibition: “Divided Man”
When: July 8–August 12, 2016
Where: Miller Yezerski Gallery, 460 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA
Jan Kassay, Untitled. Courtesy of Stewart Clifford Gallery.
Exhibition: “Reflections: Photographs by Jan Kassay”
When: July 22–August 3, 2016
Where: Stewart Clifford Gallery, 359 Commercial Street, Provincetown, MA