The Best Art Shows to See in Miami, October 2025

This month, the most exciting South Florida art opening isn’t contemporary, and it isn’t even in Miami-Dade County: It’s a tranche of rare 17th-century paintings from the Netherlands.

While you make a plan to drive or (god forbid) take the Brightline up to West Palm Beach for the Norton’s show of Rembrandt, Vermeer, and other Old Masters, be sure to see some of the other exciting art shows closer to home, including great gallery presentations throughout the city, the reopening of Freedom Tower’s Museum of Art and Design, and erotic art from collector Beth DeWoody at the Museum of Sex. 

All presentations are listed in the order in which they opened. Unless otherwise noted, events are free to attend and open to the public.

Papou at Spinello Projects

“Sun Bleached,” South Florida native Papou’s first show at Spinello Projects, is as much a celebration of her father’s heritage as a Greek-American immigrant as it is of her own Floridian upbringing. The painter’s abstract figurations feature imagery of Grecian urns, dolphins, and chickens, with rough and splotchy paint applications that lend her human figures a dynamic feel. The show opened on September 27. Spinello Projects, 2930 NW Seventh Ave., Miami, 646-780-9265; spinelloprojects.com. 

David Correa at Tunnel Projects

With a short film at its center, Miami-born artist David Correa’s show at Tunnel Projects considers Camus’ The Myth of Sisyphus through the lens of an internal combustion engine.

Just as the philosopher supposed the mythical figure was indeed happy in his endless, futile task of rolling a boulder up an endless hill, “Fuel Line: Hyperdeath” asks us to consider whether or not one must also imagine the machine is happy, too. The show opened on Friday, October 3, and is open by appointment. Tunnel Projects, 316 SW 12th Ave., Miami; tunnelprojects.com. DM instagram.com/__tunnel for appointments. 

“Black Mans Shadow Work” at Queue Gallery

Boundary-pushing Queue Gallery in Downtown Miami follows up its debut group show with a presentation by New York-based artists Karryl Eugene and Torrance Hall. Both artists attempt to address preconceptions of what art depicting a black male should look like, with Hall supplying prints of slick, futuristic figures and abstract objects while Eugene shows blurry photo collages that mix calligraphy and pop culture imagery. The show opened on Saturday, October 4, and runs through Saturday, November 15. Queue Gallery, 212 N. Miami Ave, Miami; queuegallery.net.

Alexandria Smith at David Castillo

David Castillo gallery marks the centennial of surrealism with a show by New York-based artist Alexandria Smith. Curated by Erin Dziedzic, “in this here place, we flesh” showcases paintings with strange landscapes populated by bizarre figures that mix floral and flesh. The title is derived from Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved. It opened on Thursday, October 9, and runs through Saturday, November 15. David Castillo Gallery, 25 NE 39th St., Miami; 305-573-8110; davidcastillogallery.com. 

“We Carry Our Homes With Us” at MOAD@MDC

After a lengthy renovation, the Freedom Tower is finally reopening to the public this month, and with it the Museum of Art and Design at Miami-Dade College. Art lovers will want to take note of the temporary show “We Carry Our Homes With Us,” which nods to the tower’s history with a discussion of migration, featuring work by Tomm El-Saieh, Ana Mendieta, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, and others. The museum reopens with the rest of the tower on Wednesday, October 15. Museum of Art and Design at Miami-Dade College, 600 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-237-7700; moadmdc.org. Tickets cost $18, with discounts for seniors and military members. Admission is free for Miami Dade College students, faculty, staff, and children under 5 years of age.

“New Atlantis” at Green Space

Working off a song prompt from none other than rock star and Miami local Iggy Pop, the thirteen local artists featured in this group show at Green Space in MiMo envision Miami as a “New Atlantis.”

Artists include Diana Eusebio, Jason Aponte, Julia Zurilla, Luna Palazzolo-Daboul, Elisa Benedetti, and others. The show opens on Thursday, October 16, and runs through March 2026. Green Space Miami, 7200 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 239-423-3332; greenspacemiami.org.

“Shadows and Traces: Selections from PAMM’s Collection” at PAMM

After opening its largest photography show in years earlier this summer, PAMM is doubling down with a selection of photos from the museum’s collection. “Shadows and Traces” focuses on female artists working in the photographic medium, with appearances by Belkis Ayón, Consuelo Castañeda, Naomi Fisher, María Martínez-Cañas, Ana Mendieta, and Joiri Minaya. The show opens on Thursday, October 16, and runs through next year. Pérez Art Museum Miami, 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-375-3000; pamm.org. Tickets cost $18 for adults; $14 for students with ID, seniors age 62 and over, and youth ages seven to 18. Admission is free for active U.S. military and veterans with ID, healthcare professionals and first responders with ID, children ages 6 and under, Florida educators with ID, visitors with disabilities, and their caregivers.

“Hard Art: Unruly Selections from the Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection” at the Museum of Sex

The gargantuan Miami branch of New York’s Museum of Sex is refreshing itself ahead of Art Week with a sexy new exhibition of art from the collection of Beth Rudin DeWoody. Following her curation of the Historic Hampton House’s last two December art shows, the real estate heiress and founder of West Palm Beach’s Bunker Artspace has picked a selection from her 10,000-piece collection that includes work by Marco Brambilla, Bunny Yeager, Jimmy DeSana, and others. The show opens Friday, October 17, and runs through 2026. Museum of Sex, 2200 NW 24th Ave., Miami; 786-206-9210; museumofsex.com. Tickets cost $24 to $30.

Ilsse Peredo at Homework Gallery

Little River-based Homework Gallery will stage a show from photo artist Ilsse Peredo titled “Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente” (“eyes that do not see, heart that does not feel”).

Documenting her travels through Bhutan, Mexico, and the Navajo Nation, the images in the show will be displayed as large-scale photographic sculptures printed on translucent mesh. The show opens Saturday, October 18, and runs through Saturday, November 15. Homework Gallery, 7338 NW Miami Ct., Miami; homework.gallery. 

“Art and Life in Rembrandt’s Time” at the Norton Museum

Ordinarily, we don’t travel as far north as Palm Beach in this column, but we’re making an exception for this one-of-a-kind exhibition of Dutch Old Master paintings at the Norton Museum. “Art and Life in Rembrandt’s Time: Masterpieces from The Leiden Collection” will showcase more than 70 artworks from the likes of Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Carel Fabritius, and other painters of the Dutch Golden Age. The show is headlined by the Vermeer masterpiece Young Woman Seated at a Virginal, the last of the legendary painter’s works held in private ownership. Even if this piece alone didn’t make the trip worthwhile, this rare presentation of antique masterworks in an art scene best known for the ultra-contemporary would make it a must-see. The show opens Saturday, October 25, and runs through 2026. Norton Museum of Art, 1450 W. Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach; 561-832-5196; norton.org. Admission costs $18, $15 for seniors, and $5 for students with ID. Admission is free for children ages 12 and under.