Art

May 2025: Global Art Events You Can’t Miss

From Frieze New York to Venice’s Architecture Biennale, May 2025 brings bold visions, emerging voices, and major market moments to the global art scene.

Por: Angela Leon Cervera
May 2025 art events
Hostler Burrows. TEFAF New York. Photo: Julian Cassady

From New York to Lisbon, May 2025 is packed with fairs, biennials, and cultural showcases that map today’s most urgent artistic, architectural, and curatorial concerns.

 

Whether you’re following the market, discovering emerging voices, or chasing institutional milestones, here’s your essential roundup of this month’s global art events.

May 2025 art events
Roy Lichtenstein. TEFAF New Yotk. Photo: Jitske Nap

Frieze New York 2025: Where Contemporary Art Converges

  • Dates: May 7–11

  • Venue: The Shed, New York

Frieze returns with 65+ galleries from 25+ countries, including Gagosian, White Cube, Goodman Gallery, and kurimanzutto. The Focus section, curated by Lumi Tan, champions underrepresented and emerging galleries with compelling solo projects.

 

Tributes to artists like Jenni Crain, alongside video, textile, and digital works by Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley and Citra Sasmita, make this edition a must-see.

 

TEFAF New York 2025: Cross-Era Masterpieces and Design

  • Dates: May 9–13

  • Venue: Park Avenue Armory, New York

Celebrating its tenth edition, TEFAF New York blends antiquities, modern art, and design under one vaulted roof. Expect works by Lucio Fontana, Alberto Giacometti, Emma Reyes, Anne Imhof, and Aboriginal artist Mantua Nangala in the First Look selection. Top dealers from 13 countries will fill the Armory’s historic rooms with museum-quality treasures.

May 2025 art events
Gagosian. TEFAF New York. Photo: Jitske Nap
May 2025 art events
Creative Spaces. Ben Brown FineArts. TEFAF New York. Photo: Julian Cassady

Venice Architecture Biennale 2025: Building Futures

  • Dates: May 10 – November 23

  • Curator: Carlo Ratti

  • Theme: Intelligens: Natural. Artificial. Collective.

With 750+ participants, this year’s Biennale explores the evolving relationship between human and non-human intelligence.

 

Pavilions from around the world address climate change, post-AI urbanism, and collective design ethics. Don’t miss contributions from rising global architects and transdisciplinary collectives.

 

Photo London 2025: Vision in Focus

  • Dates: May 15–18

  • Venue: Somerset House, London

Back with leading photography galleries and institutional partners, Photo London 2025 celebrates both the experimental and the archival. From established lens-based artists to first-time exhibitors, this fair remains Europe’s most vital photography platform.

ARCO Lisboa: Iberian Pulse, Global Reach

  • Dates: May 29 – June 1

  • Venue: Cordoaria Nacional, Lisbon

Focused on Ibero-American and European contemporary art, ARCO Lisboa features a curated mix of galleries and critical programming. Portugal’s rising influence as an art hub makes this a fair to watch.

 

Art Busan 2025: Korea on the Global Map

  • Dates: May 8–11

  • Venue: BEXCO, Busan

South Korea’s fastest-growing fair draws collectors and curators with a sharp mix of Asian and international contemporary art. Expect strong showings from Seoul-based powerhouses and rising regional talent.

 


Frieze Week New York: The City That Never Sleeps (on Art)

Alongside Frieze and TEFAF, New York’s Frieze Week includes a constellation of alternative and independent fairs, all running May 6–12:

 

  • Independent New York: High-caliber contemporary programming

  • NADA New York: A platform for non-profit and emerging galleries

  • The Other Art Fair Brooklyn: Artist-run and direct-to-collector

  • Future Fair: Focused on equity and collaboration

  • Spring/Break Art Show: Concept-driven booths in unconventional spaces

  • Fridge Art Fair: Intimate, playful, and full of surprises

Together, they reflect the breadth and dynamism of the city’s art ecosystem.

FAQ – May 2025 Art Events

May 2025 art events
TEFAF New York. Photo: Julian Cassady

From the high-gloss corridors of TEFAF to the speculative architecture of Venice, May 2025 art events offer a panoramic view of contemporary culture. With diverse voices and visions converging across continents, this month’s program reminds us: art doesn’t just reflect the world—it builds it.

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