STAR SYSTEM

In some ways, “Rosemarie Trockel: A Cosmos” at the New Museum feels like a retrospective as it showcases more than 30 years of her work throughout its three main gallery floors. However, the 60-year-old German contemporary artist and polymath, who has tried her hand at just about everything, from knit paintings to wooden sculptures, has gathered more than just her own works here. Indeed, you can practically step inside her brain as her own art is placed alongside pieces that inspire her, such as Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka’s 19th-century glass models of sea creatures, Maria Sibylla Merian’s 17th-century botanical watercolors, and the dazzling yarn sculptures of outsider artist Judith Scott. She even got an artistic orangutan named Tilda involved. In short, prepare for surprises at every turn.

Mondays-Sundays, 10 a.m. Starts: Oct. 24. Continues through Jan. 20, 2012