Must-see exhibits opening in New York City

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

Run away to the circus with the Met’s trippy “Circus Sideshow” exhibit of works featuring carnival barkers, ringmasters and other big top memorabilia. The whimsical display running through May 29 includes more than 1,000 paintings, drawings, period posters and illustrated journals from vintage circuses and sideshows, including the two paintings and 16 drawings by the French post-Impressionist painter Georges Seurat. The Met also celebrates the late American photography legend Irving Penn’s centennial beginning April 24 with more than 150 of his photographs. (Suggested admission: $25 adults, $12 students. 1000 Fifth Ave; metmuseum.org)

MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

Mummy’s the word. This Upper West Side museum unravels the mystery of embalmed subjects from ancient Egypt to pre-Columbian Peru with “Mummies,” opening Monday. Besides eyeballing these centuries-old subjects, guests will be able to peek under the bandages with interactive tablets and high-resolution CT scans, as well as learn how some of these subjects died, and the various ways that different societies prepared their mummies. ($22 adults, $12.50 kids. Central Park West at 79th St.; amnh.org)

BROOKLYN MUSEUM

1 | 2Painting of a ram’s head, by Georgia O’Keeffe, on display at the Brooklyn Museum through July 23.(BROOKLYN MUSEUM)

Feminism is front and center at the Brooklyn Museum, which showcases the life of artist Georgia O’Keeffe, known as the “Mother of American modernism,” in a new “Living Modern” exhibit of her wardrobe alongside her key paintings and photographs. On display through July 23, it also features pics of the artist taken by greats like Andy Warhol, Annie Leibovitz and Ansel Adams. Tix for this exhibit are $20 for adults, $12, students. Or come to this Prospect Heights museum for “We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85,” opening April 21 and recognizing four generations of African Americans creating art to spark up conversations about race and gender. (General admission $16 adults, $10 students. 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn; brooklynmuseum.org)

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE

The Astoria cultural center screens some splashy film series this spring, such as “Love Lives of Sea Creatures,” which features films by Jean Painlevé, Isabella Rossellini and Roberto Rossellini centered on the love lives and reproductive behaviors of sea creatures. Seriously. “Green Porno” by Isabella Rossellini explores how starfish, shrimp and anchovies make babies. There’s even a presentation by a marine chemical biologist following the March 26 screening. Or check out the Martin Scorsese retrospective through April 23 with screenings of his films “Gangs of New York” and “The Age of Innocence” on March 19. (Admission $15 adults, $7 kids. 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, Queens; movingimage.us)

STATEN ISLAND MUSEUM

The institution in St. George considers local history with permanent exhibits like “Lenape: The First Staten Islanders,” featuring artifacts like stone heads from the Lenape Indians, as well as three new original murals depicting how they lived. Don’t miss the powerful portraits of Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln and Billie Holiday in “Of Human Feelings: Portraits by Warren Lyons,” on display through June 18. Or peep at colorful butterflies, cicadas and beetles preserved on the “Wall of Insects.” (Recommended admission $8 adults, $5 students, $2 kids 2-12. 75 Stuyvesant Pl., Staten Island;