This exhibit at The American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington presents paintings and drawings inspired by astronomy, biology, physics and spectra. The show largely focuses on the […]
Korean artist Yun Suknam, a pioneering feminist, creates portraits of women past and present. Anchored by a wood assemblage portrait of her mother, this exhibition also features paintings of American […]
This exhibit focuses on works on paper by Pakistani-American artist Ambreen Butt, who applies traditional Persian miniature painting to contemporary subject matter.
This exhibit examines the ways in which Japanese artists from the Momoyama and Edo periods (1573-1868) reimagined classical narratives and poetry dating back nearly 1000 years to the Heian period […]
Mexican-Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer is known for blurring the lines between art and technology. In his DC debut, he has designed hypnotic audiovisual installations that measure and incorporate visitors’ own […]
This exhibit sheds light on the methods behind chiaroscuro printmaking—an art form that flourished in 16th-century Italy. Artists interpreted works by masters of their time, such as Titian and Raphael, creating color prints using a succession of wood blocks.
During the 18th century, the French word toilette came to signify the pampered process of dressing. This exhibit from Hillwood’s collection features elegant period accoutrements for the toilette such as jewelry boxes, brushes, combs, cosmetic pots and perfume bottles. Costumes and prints on loan illustrate these luxurious rituals.
The first museum retrospective of Cuban artist Zilia Sánchez examines her prolific career, spanning nearly 70 years. About 65 paintings, works on paper, shaped canvases, sculptural pieces and ephemera trace Sánchez’s artistic journey from Cuba to Europe, New York and finally to Puerto Rico, where she now lives and works.
This juried craft show presents handmade works by more than 650 jewelry, clothing and home-décor artisans from around the country. “Let’s Make” sessions will offer attendees an opportunity to interact with local artists, observe demos and enjoy hands-on learning, while “Hip Pop,” will introduce emerging artists.
This exhibit spotlights 25 paintings done by American artist Oliver Lee Jackson during the last 15 years. The large-scale pieces—some of which have never been shown publicly—depict black figures against bright, abstract compositions. Jackson’s influences range from the Renaissance to modernism and are inspired by his study of African cultures and American jazz.
Section 14 refers to an area of downtown Palm Springs, California that was the site of a land battle that lasted from the 1940s to the 1960s between developers and Native Americans who resided there because the land was part of their reservation. This exhibition sheds light on the conflict through photographs, documents and plans.
The brainchild of a women-led collective of five artists, this digital installation celebrates spring with interactive, visual and environmental experiences revolving around DC’s cherry blossom season.
A gift from dedicated contemporary-art collectors Mary and Paul Roberts, 35 post-War works on paper are on view by such significant American artists as Ellsworth Kelly, Richard Diebenkorn, Jasper Johns, Sol LeWitt, Louise Lawler and Gerhard Richter. Drawings, photographs and prints explore politics and personal identity.
The activist and ceramicist Roberto Lugo has masterminded the first installation in the Walters’ nearby annex, 1 West Mount Vernon Place in Baltimore. Lugo, who aims to illustrate his experience as an artist of color, adorns traditional forms with contemporary likenesses, including those of Frederick Douglass and Freddie Gray.
An enduring slice of Americana, the basketball hoop is the subject of 75 large-format prints on display by photographer Bill Bamberger. His images capture hoops of every kind across the globe, from urban, graffiti-covered courts to the playgrounds of South Africa.
The National Building Museum mined its collection of 320,000 objects related to the built environment to put on this exhibit of architectural objects depicting animals as decorative elements. Sketches, sculptures, architectural drawings and decorative plaster molds are among the many treasures to be showcased.
Participants on this popular, self-guided tour can visit custom homes and renovations completed by top area builders and developers. Proceeds benefit HomeAid Northern Virginia, which connects regional builders with non-profits to combat homelessness in the region.
The works of 130 artists from around the country are on display during this annual event, where creations range from glass, furniture and ceramics to paintings, photography and jewelry. Live entertainment and cuisine from Bethesda’s top restaurants are also on offer.
Indian artist Ranjani Shettar’s “Earth Songs for a Night Sky” is part of The Phillips Collection’s series on the intersection between old and new in art, materials and techniques. Shettar’s hand-carved wood sculptures and installations respond to Sounds, a book of woodcuts by Wassily Kandinsky, and paintings by Paul Klee from the museum’s collection.
Museum founder Charles Lang Freer amassed the world’s largest collection of watercolors by James McNeill Whistler, most of which have never left the confines of the Freer. More than 50 are now on display, including figures, landscapes, nocturnes and interiors.
This is the first exhibit to highlight how animals have been represented in Japanese art over the past 16 centuries. The assemblage of 315 works focuses on a wide variety of media, including sculpture, painting, lacquerwork, ceramics, textiles, woodblocking and metal, by luminaries such as Yayoi Kusama, Issey Miyake and Murakami Takashi.
This exhibition showcases designs for DC landmarks that never made it past the planning stages. Discover unbuilt concepts for Memorial Bridge, the Washington Monument and more through historical prints and paintings from the museum’s Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection.
Sculptor and glass artist Ginny Ruffner combines traditional glasswork with augmented-reality technology to create an interactive experience. Viewers download an app that superimposes digital information over colorless glass tree stumps, then watch the sculptures “grow” mythical flora and fauna through the AR lens.
Through August 30 • This year’s exhibition of recent acquisitions showcases 25 new portraits of individuals who have influenced history and culture in the U.S. Subjects include Morgan Freeman, Audrey […]
The Art Nouveau movement experienced a boom at the end of the 19th century, popularizing works by Scottish artist, architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who was part of an enclave of Glaswegian artists. This collection of 165 furniture pieces, textiles, posters, drawings and ceramics explores the impact of Mackintosh and Glasgow Style.
After the Corcoran Gallery of Art closed its doors in 2014, American University acquired nearly 9,000 works from its collection. Taking cues from the museum’s late, unconventional director Walter Hopps, 18 AU graduate students curated this exhibit of 87 pieces from the Corcoran Legacy Collection, dividing them into five sub-groups and juxtaposing them in provocative […]
Drawing from the gallery’s permanent collection, this exhibit traces the history of pastels from their Renaissance origins to the present day. Seventy works are on display, some for the first time, by luminaries including Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and James McNeill Whistler.
This exhibit celebrates women artists whose work reflects major 20th-century movements, from Cubism to Abstract Modernism. Georgia O’Keeffe, Maria Martinez, Grace Turnbull and Grace Hartigan are among those whose paintings, […]
The DC/Maryland/Virginia area (DMV) is home to a rich community of women artists of color. This exhibit in the museum’s library showcases their eclectic, contemporary work, including books, graphic novels, photography and zines exploring themes of slavery, immigration and family life.
Collectors Barbara and Aaron Levine recently made a gift to the Hirshhorn encompassing more than 50 historical artworks—including 35 by French-American icon Marcel Duchamp, who pioneered the use of everyday […]
More than 150 contemporary artists from across the country will gather in Main Street Station’s renovated train shed in downtown Richmond to showcase their ceramic, wood, metal, glass, mixed-media and wearable crafts.
While celebrated Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai is best known for his iconic woodblock print The Great Wave off the Coast of Kanagawa, he created thousands of works during his long […]
Japanese American artist Chiura Obata married East and West by depicting American landmarks like the Grand Canyon and Yosemite using Japanese calligraphic brushstrokes and washes of color. More than 100 […]
Ongoing • This unique exhibit celebrates African heroes through tales of human accomplishment that reflect the continent’s trials and triumphs. Pulled from the museum’s permanent collection, each of the nearly […]
In 19th- and 20th-century sub-Saharan Africa, artistic expression was divided by gender, with men glorifying leaders in wood and metalwork while women employed textiles, beads, jewelry and more for everyday […]
The museum hosts its 14th annual market, displaying crafts by more than 30 Native American artists. Visitors can purchase silver and semi-precious jewelry, ceramics, apparel, woven baskets, traditional beadwork, dolls, paintings, prints and sculpture, made by hand in traditional and contemporary styles.
The Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore taps into its archive of costumes, clothing and accessories for an exhibit spanning four centuries. Hermès, Pierre Cardin and “Project Runway” alum Christian Siriano […]
Through February 9 • Six women photographers chronicle Iran’s social and political realities in this timely show. On view are images by Hengameh Golestan, who documented women protestors following the 1979 revolution; work by Newsha Tavakolian, Shadi Ghadirian, Malekeh Nayiny, Gohar Dashti and Mitra Tabrizian explores themes of defiance, memory, home and displacement in modern […]
Known for tonal compositions featuring solitary female figures, turn-of-the-20th-century American painter Thomas Wilmer Dewing was part of a bustling network of collectors and art dealers. This exhibition explores the influence […]
In the 17th and 18th centuries, wealthy families decorated banquet tables with extravagant centerpieces made of sugar and fine porcelain. Displayed in the Hillwood House dining room, an elaborate centerpiece by present-day Dutch artist Bouke de Vries reinterprets these sculptures with seven vignettes made of sugar, porcelain and pieces of plastic toys—all ironically depicting an […]
The 20th century marked a shift in studio craft from practical to avant-garde. This display of embroidery, ceramics and jewelry by innovative mid-century American artists includes pieces by such craftspeople as Baltimore-based metalsmith Betty Cooke and the multinational textile artist Mariska Karasz.
More than 40 dealers from the U.S. and Europe will display their wares during this annual antiques show. Dubbed “Iconic George!,” the event includes an exhibit of George Washington-themed decorative arts from the Winterthur Museum. A preview gala, designer panels and dealer talks will also take place. washingtonwintershow.org
Fashioned out of jade, agate, onyx, amethyst, lapis and other semiprecious stones, about 100 decorative objects from the Marjorie Merriweather Post estate will be on display at Hillwood. The collection […]
Influential Washington, DC, artist Robert Franklin Gates (1906-1982) was a muralist, painter, printmaker, draftsman—and an American University professor of art for more than 40 years. This exhibit, featuring works in watercolor, oil-on-canvas and more, spans Gates’ career.
A solo show of American artist Ellen Lesperance’s work features gouache paintings based on clothing worn by women activists, warriors and cultural figures. The exhibit reveals seven pieces from the artist’s ongoing “Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp” series, inspired by garments worn at the end of the last century by feminists protesting U.S. nuclear weapons […]
Organized by the Arab World Institute and UNESCO, this virtual exhibition takes viewers to three Middle Eastern cities: Palmyra and Aleppo in Syria and Mosul in Iraq. All three have […]
Painting en plein air was a popular trend during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when intrepid artists journeyed to breathtaking European spots to practice their craft outdoors. This […]
