The Inka Road stretches 20,000 miles across South America. Providing a vital link between the administrative and spiritual capitals of the ancient Inka world, it is still in use today and deemed a World Heritage Site by the United Nations. This exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian explores its engineering history in terms of technology, politics and culture.
The National Portrait Gallery showcases 20 portraits by Civil War photographer Mathew Brady depicting famous figures from President Lincoln’s time. Subjects ranging from P. T. Barnum to inventor Samuel Morse and clergyman Henry Ward Beecher reflect the diversity of American cultural and intellectual life during the era.
The Renwick Gallery reopened last fall after an extensive renovation; now, an installation of artworks taken from the museum’s permanent collection will explore the value of craft in the modern world. More than 80 objects on view will include such new acquisitions as stained glass by Judith Schaechter, wood sculpture by Wendell Castle and cast glass by Karen Lamonte.
This ongoing exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts showcases its renowned collection of 280 objects made by Russian decorative artists—including five imperial Easter eggs by Fabergé. A jeweler for the court of Tsar Nicholas, this master craftsman fled Russia after the 1918 revolution; what remains of his work offers a glimpse into a vanished era.
Contemporary American artist Theaster Gates will create an installation for the new Tower 3 galleries in the National Gallery’s East Building. Entitled “The Minor Arts,” it will examine how human experience instills everyday objects with new meaning.
A retrospective at the Renwick Gallery showcases more than 50 objects by enamel artist June Schwarcz. Known for a distinctive style that combines texture and color with a nod to the California Arts & Crafts movement, Schwarcz worked until 2015, when she passed away at the age of 97.
The late Peter Voulkos is credited with revolutionizing ceramic forms and techniques. The Renwick Gallery showcases works from his early career (1953 to 1968), many of which combine wheel-thrown and slab elements and mix traditional glazes with epoxy paint.
The iconic fashion designer’s achievements are the focus of this exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, which showcases 100 examples of his haute couture and ready-to-wear garments, some never before shown publicly. The trajectory of Saint Laurent’s style is recounted through accessories, photographs, drawings, films and video.
Sixty-eight 18th-century French paintings from museums and private collections nationwide have been assembled by the National Gallery of Art in an exhibit that tells the stories of the collectors, curators and dealers responsible for bringing these masterpieces across the ocean. Works by Jean Honoré Fragonard and François Boucher will mingle with those of lesser-known artists of the era.
The Phillips Collection will present the first comprehensive survey in the U.S. of the work of German artist Markus Lüpertz, who began painting in postwar Germany when American Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art dominated the scene. Nearly 50 pieces will focus on the artist’s career—from recent years back to the 1960s.