“Like a party, it takes a well-assembled group of people to make a summer show work,” writes Alessio Ascari in the introduction to our list of the top 10 summer shows. “Group Shoe,” curated by the painter Joe Bradley and now on view at Gavin Brown‘s enterprise (NY), is itself a kind of party: it’s fun, wild and surprising. With works by Bread And Puppet Theater, Duane Hanson, John Mccracken and Robert Smithson, it is also a truly eclectic show. The energy is palpable, with works that straddle the grotesque, the phallic and the political. The press release is unpretentious, simply stating names and dates—no frills, nothing explained or given away. This show is one that needs to be experienced, with as little foreknowledge as possible. In a 2009 interview with Dike Blair of BOMB Magazine, Bradley talks about the importance of titles in his work: “I think a thoughtful title can sort of nudge the viewer in a certain direction.” As a title, “Group Shoe” nudges us in the direction of comicality and puzzlement and for that reason alone, it deserves the seventh place on our list. Go see it, go party.