Editors’ Picks: 4 Great Art and Design Events This Week

If incredible art is easy to find in New York City, then it’s even easier to miss. Blink, and not only has that intriguing exhibition you had on your agenda vanished, but there’s already a new one on the walls. (Chances are the paint’s not even dry yet.) Luckily, the following exhibitions and events have yet to pass, so mark your calendars while there’s still time.

Sasha Bikoff’s Memphis-inspired staircase at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House. Photo: Courtesy of Sasha Bikoff

Kips Bay Decorator Show House

Where: 110 E. 76th Street, New York, NY

When: Through May 31, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

It’s your last chance to catch the Kips Bay Decorator Show House, an annual month-long event that sees a luxury Manhattan home transformed into a series of dreamy interiors by a team of top interior designers. You’ll have the opportunity to take a selfie with Sasha Bikoff’s much-Instagrammed staircase, which was inspired by the Memphis Design movement. And best yet, all proceeds benefit the Kips Bay Girls & Boys Club.

Bodys Isek Kingelez, “Ville Fantôme,” 1996. Paper, paperboard, plastic, and other mixed media. Photo: Maurice Aeschimann, courtesy of the Contemporary African Art Collection — Pigozzi Collection

Bodys Isek Kingelez: City Dreams

Where: The Museum of Modern Art, 11 W. 53rd St, New York, NY

When: Through January 1, 2019

The first major retrospective of Bodys Isek Kingelez, the late visionary Congolese artist, has just opened at the Museum of Modern Art. The hotly anticipated show features a wonderland of his colorful and richly detailed architectural maquettes, which beautifully reflect his dreams for a fantastical utopian future.

The Venetian Room at the Cultural Services of the French Embassy. Photo: Courtesy of the French Embassy

The Venetian Room at the Cultural Services of the French Embassy

Where: 972 5th Ave, New York, NY

When: Opens June 1, 2018

Regarded as the final creation of Gilded-Age architect Stanford White, the opulent Venetian Room is located within what’s now the Cultural Services of the French Embassy. The diplomatic envoy has just completed a sensitive restoration of the space, which serves as a reception room and is clad in an enticing harmony of metal lattice, mirrored panels, and porcelain flowers.

The annual Summer Party at the Glass House. Photo: Courtesy of the Glass House

Summer Party at the Glass House

Where: 199 Elm Street, New Canaan, CT

When: Saturday, June 9, 2018, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.

A highlight on the art and design calendar, Philip Johnson’s Glass House is back with their annual Summer Party. Spend an afternoon of cocktails, farm-to-table cuisine, and the music of Philip Glass and John Cage on the lush 49-acre property. Don’t miss the chance to acquire some fabulous pieces by established and emerging artists alike in an auction powered by Paddle8, available now online. All proceeds support the Glass House.