
9 Must-See Solo Gallery Shows This Season
Spring 2025 is bursting with art! Expect an eclectic blend of photography, mixed-media works, and visually rich explorations of light, memory, and nature. Magnifissance has handpicked 9 solo gallery shows that will take you from the art-filled streets of New York to the sun-soaked shores of California.
From the quiet elegance of Michael Kenna’s serene landscapes to Christopher Burkett’s luminous Cibachromes, each exhibition invites viewers into an enriching dialogue with the art. Whether contemplating the symbolic darkness in Lynda Lowe’s evocative works or immersing in the surreal beauty of Mary Mattingly’s “Night Gardens,” these gallery shows offer an opportunity to experience the transformative power of visual art, where the extraordinary is found within the ordinary.
1.
Gallery: Robert Mann Gallery
City: New York, New York
Exhibition: Mary Mattingly’s Night Gardens
Dates: Through February 7, 2025
Robert Mann Gallery presents Night Gardens, a solo exhibition by Mary Mattingly, running through February 7, 2025. In this mesmerizing series, Mattingly invites viewers into a world where the natural and the surreal collide. The exhibition features twelve meticulously crafted images that explore gardens as evolving ecosystems, brimming with texture, color, and life. By blending physical elements such as plants, flowers, and fabric with digital manipulation, Mattingly creates magical environments that transcend the ordinary.
Inspired by the moonlit gardens of Socrates Sculpture Park, Mattingly intertwines biological life with ancient myths. Plants like lotuses and thistles emerge as symbols of resilience and transformation, acting as metaphors for survival in an age of environmental change. These works reflect on the delicate balance between fragility and adaptability in nature. Mattingly’s innovative fusion of digital techniques and traditional methods offers a hauntingly ethereal perspective on the intersection of nature, mythology, and artifice.
2.
Gallery: Peter Fetterman Gallery
City: Santa Monica, California
Exhibition: Willy Ronis
Dates: Through March 1, 2025
Peter Fetterman Gallery presents a tribute to Willy Ronis, one of the foremost French Humanist photographers, in an exhibition that spans his remarkable career. Renowned for his ability to capture intimate, tender moments of everyday life in Paris, Ronis’ work reflects a profound connection to humanity and the beauty found in the ordinary. This exhibition will showcase both iconic images and rare pieces, offering a rare glimpse into Ronis’ artistic evolution. His timeless photography, filled with warmth and joy, continues to inspire and holds a lasting place in the history of 20th-century photography.
3.
Gallery: The Hulett Collection
Where: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Exhibition: Michael Kenna
Dates: December 7, 2024 – February 15, 2025
The Hulett Collection in Tulsa now features iconic photography by Michael Kenna, renowned for his hauntingly beautiful and enigmatic images created through long exposures that capture moments unseen by the naked eye. With over 20 years of experience in curating fine art photography, gallery founder Michael Hulett has cultivated a space that presents powerful, historically significant images while creating a deeply personal gallery experience.
4.
Gallery: Photography West
City: Carmel, California
Exhibition: Christopher Burkett
Dates: Up to January 31, 2025
Photography West’s Christopher Burkett: Reception 2024 exhibits the renowned photographer’s hand-crafted Cibachromes. For over four decades, Burkett has mesmerized audiences with what many consider some of the most luminous and technically flawless color photographs ever created. His ability to capture the natural world with a depth and vibrancy that evokes a “world behind the world” has solidified his place as one of the most esteemed photographers of our time.
At the core of Burkett’s artistry is his use of Cibachrome—also known as Lifochrome—a photographic process celebrated for its unparalleled color saturation and remarkable stability. The process involves embedding dyes within the emulsion layers and printing on a polyester triacetate base, ensuring the longevity and vibrancy of his images over time. This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience Burkett’s extraordinary work up close and appreciate the technical mastery and artistic vision that have defined his celebrated career.
5.
Gallery: Susan Spiritus Gallery
City: Irvine, California
Exhibition: Harold Ross
Dates: Ongoing
At the Harold Ross Exhibit in Susan Spiritus Gallery, the photographer’s mastery of light painting takes center stage. For more than twenty-five years, Ross has explored the art of illuminating his subjects in profound and unexpected ways. By delicately applying light to each image, Ross uncovers intricate textures, shapes, and colors, creating luminous compositions that seem to transcend the physical world. His expert manipulation of light has earned him a reputation as a virtuoso in “sculpting with light.”
6.
Gallery: Berggruen Gallery
City: San Francisco, California
Exhibition: Bruce Cohen
Dates: Up to February 27, 2025
Bruce Cohen at Berggruen Gallery unveils the artist’s latest series of paintings, continuing his exploration of still life with a realist approach. Cohen’s work often features everyday objects—fruit, books, vases, and flowers—set within geometric interiors. While human figures are absent, there is a distinct, quiet human presence woven into the compositions, creating a sense of mystery and intimacy. Drawing inspiration from Dutch still-life traditions and Surrealism, Cohen’s meticulously detailed works of art invite contemplation, capturing the interplay between objects, space, and the underlying human experience that resides in the everyday.
7.
Gallery: GAIL SEVERN GALLERY
City: Ketchum, Idaho
Exhibition: By The Light in Darkness by Lynda Lowe
Dates: Until February 1, 2025
Lynda Lowe’s By The Light in Darkness delves into the interplay of light and dark, both in a literal and metaphorical sense. Lowe reimagines darkness not as a negative force, but as a space for growth and transformation, where light finds its revelation. Her work frequently incorporates vessels, such as the moon jar, symbolizing potential and mystery. Drawing inspiration from nature—particularly her time in tropical environments—Lowe weaves botanical forms and birds into her paintings. Through meticulous renderings, she invites a meditative connection to the natural world, revealing the sentient presence that resides even in the most ordinary elements.
8.
Gallery: Gilman Contemporary
City: Ketchum, Idaho
Exhibition: Sungazing by Kelly Ording
Dates: Up to January 23, 2025
Kelly Ording’s Sungazing explores the meditative ritual of gazing at the sun, a practice that deeply influences her approach to painting. The exhibition showcases works that translate the slow, contemplative process of sungazing into a visual language. With vibrant colors and delicate forms, Ording’s paintings evoke a sense of quiet introspection. Rhythmic lines and repetitive motifs mirror the natural cycles of the sun, offering viewers an opportunity to experience the flow of time and energy through the artist’s own meditative process. These works invite the audience to clear their minds and attune to the universal rhythms of nature and the passage of time.
9.
Gallery: Jackson Fine Art
City: Atlanta, Georgia
Exhibition: In Conversation
Dates: Up to January 18, 2025
In Conversation brings together the works of John Chiara and Angela West, highlighting their unique approaches to light, abstraction, and the passage of memory. Chiara’s richly hued camera obscura photographs and West’s layered mixed-media pieces create landscapes that move beyond mere representations of place, instead capturing the deeper essence and emotional resonance of these spaces. Both artists explore the evolving connection between humans and nature, creating a thought-provoking dialogue between time, memory, and the spaces we inhabit.
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