7 inspired museum exhibitions to see this summer

When it comes to planning your summer activities, "visiting museums" should be on the list right alongside "hitting the water park" and "going to the fair." Think that sounds like a bore? Think again! You can see the bling worn by your favorite hip-hop artists at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, view French modernist masterpieces by Renoir and Monet at the Portland Art Museum and get up-close and personal with Simone Leigh's bronze creations at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. From coast to coast, here are seven new exhibitions worthy of stopping at on your summer travels.

'Dalí: Disruption and Devotion,' Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Surrealist icon Salvador Dalí made a name for himself with his unorthodox imagery, but much of his technical skill and finesse came from studying traditional European painters. For "Dalí: Disruption and Devotion," 30 paintings and prints on loan from the Salvador Dalí Museum in Florida, including "Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory" and "Ecumenical Council," will be on display alongside portraits and still lifes by El Greco, Diego Velázquez and Orazio Gentileschi, exploring the links between Dalí and his predecessors. July 6-Dec. 1, 2024.

'Georgia O'Keeffe: My New Yorks,' Art Institute of Chicago

Before she found inspiration in the desert landscapes of the Southwest, Georgia O'Keeffe lived in the tallest hotel in New York City, where the metropolis sparked a "five-year period of energetic experimentation across media and at a variety of scales, with subject matter, form and perspective," the Art Institute of Chicago said. The artist christened these works "my New Yorks," and close to 100 paintings, drawings, photographs and pastels will be on display in the Institute's exhibition of the same name. June 2-Sept. 22, 2024.

'Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry,' American Museum of Natural History, New York City

You might want to wear your shades inside the American Museum of Natural History — the pendants, chains and arm bands on display for "Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry" are that bright. This dazzling presentation includes accessories worn by some of hip-hop's biggest performers, with many having made cameos in music videos and on the red carpet, including Notorious B.I.G.'s gold "Jesus piece," Slick Rick's gem-covered crown, eye patch and five-foot long chain, Eve's Ruff Ryders necklace and one of Flavor Flav's many plastic clocks. Through Jan. 5, 2025.

'KAWS + Warhol,' The Warhol, Pittsburgh

The similarities between Andy Warhol and KAWS extend beyond both artists embracing color and referencing pop culture in their pieces. "KAWS + Warhol" examines the "dark themes present" in both of their work, bringing these undertones to light in the first-ever showing of the artists together. The exhibition also marks The Warhol's 30th anniversary, and the museum is going all out to celebrate, with KAWS unveiling a new series of paintings, sculptures and installations tied to his work with General Mills cereals. Through Jan. 20, 2025.

'Monet to Matisse: French Moderns,' Portland Art Museum, OR

The Portland Art Museum is going back to the end of the 19th century and early 20th century, when France was the "artistic center of international modernism" and masters Claude Monet and Henri Matisse stood in the middle of it all. Dozens of works by the artists and their contemporaries will be on view for "Monet to Matisse: French Moderns," including Pierre-Auguste Renoir's "Age of Bronze" and Gustave Caillebotte's "Apple Tree in Bloom." The pieces are on loan from the Brooklyn Museum and include the handiwork of below-the-radar artists as well, like Jehan Georges Vibert and József Rippl-Rónai. June 8-Sept. 15, 2024.

'Simone Leigh,' Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the California African American Museum

Through ceramic, bronze and video, Simone Leigh creates works "exploring questions of Black femme subjectivity and knowledge production," LACMA said. Her art spans "historical periods, geographies and traditions" and references "vernacular and hand-made processes from across the African diaspora." This exhibition is the first broad survey of Leigh's pieces, displaying works she created two decades ago and also stunning pieces made for the 2022 Venice Biennale. May 26, 2024-Jan. 20, 2025.

'WE THE PEOPLE: Portraits of Veterans in America,' Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville, GA

Armed with her brushes, watercolorist Mary Whyte traveled across the U.S. to paint a large-scale portrait of one veteran in every state. All 50 faces she captured will be on view at "WE THE PEOPLE: Portraits of Veterans in America." It took seven years to complete the project, which saw Whyte meeting with vets of all ages and backgrounds, including a dairy farmer in Missouri, a science teacher in Pennsylvania and a single mom in South Carolina. July 6-Nov. 17, 2024.