NYC Art Exhibits: 4 Remarkable Painting Shows in Chelsea — Richter, Yuskavage, Guston & More

We visit four remarkable painting exhibitions currently on view at Chelsea, New York City galleries that together make a compelling case for painting as one of the most alive and varied art forms of our time. Gerhard Richter's landscapes, Lisa Yuskavage's jewel-toned figures, a secret collection, and Philip Guston in his most intimate mode — all within a ten-minute walk. First, we step into Gerhard Richter: Landschaften at David Zwirner's 537 West 20th Street location, open now through July 10, 2026. The show brings together Richter's celebrated photorealist landscape paintings from the 1960s through the 2000s alongside a carefully selected group of his Abstrakte Bilder (Abstract Paintings, 1976–2017). Curated by David Zwirner and gallery partner David Leiber in close collaboration with the artist himself, the exhibition draws on loans from significant private and museum collections — including works recently shown in Richter's acclaimed retrospective at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris — as well as pieces from Richter's own collection. It's a rare, deeply considered pairing that reveals how landscape and abstraction have always been two sides of the same coin for this legendary German painter. Then, at at 533 West 19th S, we catch a preview of Lisa Yuskavage , opening May 14 and running through June 26, 2026. This is Yuskavage's tenth solo exhibition with David Zwirner and marks twenty years since her first show with the gallery in 2006. The presentation includes new and recent large- and small-format paintings alongside works on paper — and introduces collage as an entirely new medium in her practice. Saturated in her signature jewellike color, many of the new works expand on the theme of the artist's studio, weaving characters from her oeuvre across time and space. One of the most original voices in contemporary figuration, Yuskavage continues to redefine what painting can do with the human body and the painted surface. Then, just steps away at 525 West 19th Street, we visit The Great Unseen Collection: A Selection of Works from Joel and Carole Bernstein, on view May 7 through June 13, 2026. This is one of the most quietly fascinating shows in Chelsea right now. The Bernsteins — Chicago-based collectors who spent over six decades assembling a remarkable body of figurative and abstract American art — flew under the radar for decades even as their works appeared in major museum exhibitions. The show includes paintings by Alice Neel, Alex Katz, Romare Bearden, Joan Brown, Fairfield Porter, Andy Warhol, Eric Fischl, and others, and every work is available for sale. It's a deeply personal, historically rich collection finally stepping into the light. Finally, we walk over to Hauser & Wirth's 18th Street location at 443 West 18th Street for Life with P.: Philip Guston — Paintings and Drawings 1964–1978, on view through July 10, 2026. Rather than focusing on Guston's iconic late political imagery, this exhibition reveals a rarely seen, deeply intimate side of the artist — his inner life with his wife, the poet Musa McKim, in their Woodstock retreat. On view are his extraordinary "Poem Pictures" (drawings made in response to McKim's poetry), as well as three large-scale figurative paintings never before shown in a gallery or museum. The exhibition coincides with the release of a new Hauser & Wirth Publishers book of the same title, featuring McKim's previously unpublished journals from 1966 to 1976. ►► Subscribe for more art-focused videos:    / @soundsofny   🎥 Shot, edited & original music by soundsofnewyork Other videos you may be interested in:    • NYC Art Museums Tours   00:00 – Intro & Gerhard Richter: Landschaften | David Zwirner, 537 W 20th St (through July 10) 05:45 – Lisa Yuskavage | David Zwirner, 533 W 19th St (May 14 – June 26) 08:34 – The Great Unseen Collection | Joel & Carole Bernstein | David Zwirner, 525 W 19th St (through June 13) 12:35 – Philip Guston: Life with P. | Hauser & Wirth, 443 W 18th St (through July 10) #NYCArt #GalleryWalk #PaintingExhibition #GerhardRichter #LisaYuskavage #PhilipGuston #DavidZwirner #HauserAndWirth #ContemporaryArt #NewYorkArt #NYCArtScene #FigurativePainting #AbstractPainting #Chelsea #ArtExhibition #Photorealism