Since the 16th century, Raku ceramics have been central to Japanese tea culture. Built by hand as opposed to on a potter’s wheel, these vessels continue to inspire artistic creativity. The Freer Gallery displays pieces dating back to the 18th century that exemplify glazes and forms unique to Raku ware.
An exhibit conceived for young museum-goers celebrates the concept of home and the built environment through the lens of children’s literature. Installations featuring classics such as Winnie-the-Pooh, The Hobbit and Harold and the Purple Crayon are designed to spark curiosity and encourage visitors to create stories of their own.
In honor of its 50th anniversary, the Hirshhorn Museum is hosting a landmark exhibition by conceptual artist Adam Pendleton. New and recent paintings and a video work pay homage to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The show is the Richmond native’s first solo exhibit in DC.
Viewers are challenged to make connections between modern and Renaissance art in this exhibit that contrasts paintings by Rozeal and Cezanne with Titian masterpieces. Historic references and other similarities relate these disparate works over centuries.
A selection of photographs offers an intimate look at the everyday lives of Indigenous peoples across the Western Hemisphere. Drawn from the museum’s vast archive of more than a half-million images, this show reveals moments of quiet reflection as well as family gatherings and ceremonies, captured from 1852 to the present.
A Romanov by birth, Natalie Paley escaped the tragic fate of her family to live a culturally rich life in France, and later, America as the darling of fashion designers, writers, editors and photographers. Through 335 newly acquired items—assembled alongside pieces from Hillwood’s permanent collection—a fascinating portrait of the woman as both muse and tastemaker […]
Drawing on the National Portrait Gallery’s extensive early photography collection, this show traces the evolution of large-scale portraiture using the three popular mediums of the day: the upmarket daguerreotype, the mid-range ambrotype, and the far more common and affordable tintype.
Trained in classical Indo-Persian miniature painting, Shahzia Sikander adds a contemporary spin to the genre. This 10-minute film is a commentary on the legacy of British colonialism in Asia. Combining visuals from Chinese paper cut-outs to watercolor maps of the region, the film blends inked and digitally animated scenes, all set to an electronic beat […]
This mega-exhibition marking the Baltimore venue’s 30th anniversary focuses on alternate worlds by a coterie of self-taught artists. Among 130 creations shown are paintings and lithographs, ceramic subway scenes, handcrafted action figures, chainsaw-carved minotaurs and hand-painted sci-fi galaxies.
October 18 to March 1, 2026 –This exhibit offers visitors a rare opportunity to discover modern and contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, dating from the late 19th century to the present. More than 200 works by 130 artists illustrate the diverse and distinct visual iconographies of Indigenous Australia, which is made up of […]
The museum reexamines the work and life of Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses (1860–1961), the self-taught artist who was propelled to fame after starting to paint in her late 70s. The 88 works on view illuminate lesser-known aspects of Moses’ experience and reconcile the roles she played—from mother of five and dairy farmer in post-Reconstructionist […]
In the most comprehensive unveiling of former Charm City resident Amy Sherald’s work to date, the BMA presents approximately 40 of her portraits, from rarely seen examples to iconic portrayals of Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor. The ticketed show focuses on Sherald’s experimentation with the conventions of portraiture and her ability to tell stories through […]
Since the late 1960s, immersive, large-scale artworks have blurred traditional boundaries. This exhibit traces the evolution of installation art, displaying early works such as Sam Gilliam’s 1969 Light Depth (pictured) along with those of contemporary artists such as Mika Rottenberg and Spencer Finch.
An exhibit of more than 130 works on loan from the collection of music-industry power couple Alicia Keys and Kasseem Dean (aka Swizz Beatz) shines a light on 40-plus Black artists from Africa, Europe, the U.S. and the Caribbean. Pictured: A work by Amy Sherald.
The daughter of a silent-film star, the late Ruth Orkin is remembered for her postwar photographs of confident women in public and private spaces. Twenty-one striking images on view range from Hollywood glamour shots to depictions of women in classrooms, parks and homes.
This exhibit showcases several videos by peter campus, a New York artist long considered a new-media pioneer. Along with one of his iconic 1970s works, The Phillips unveils new videos inspired by the coastline near the artist’s Long Island home.
This immersive video installation dives deep into multi-media artist Clifford Ross’ ongoing fascination with the vast, awe-inspiring ocean through computer-generated media. Installed on a 23-foot-high screen in the West Building’s Rotunda, the work prompts viewers to reflect on the natural world and their own place in it.
Painter, printmaker and botanist Ilana Manolson celebrates species often dismissed as weeds, revealing their vitality, beauty and the essential roles they play within the ecosystems we share. From her luminous landscapes to her depictions of the intricate veins of leaves, the Canadian-born artist exposes unseen forces connecting all living things.
The largest solo show SAAM has ever commissioned, “Mammoth” will transform a suite of galleries into a series of immersive environments. Combining sculpture, video and thousands of found objects, the exhibition draws on artist Nick Cave’s childhood in Missouri, where his grandparents were farmers and his grandmother was a quilter. As curator Sarah Newman remarks, […]
The NGA celebrates Mary Cassatt on the 100th anniversary of her death in 1926. The only American and one of three women who participated in the Impressionist movement, she spent most of her life in France. This display of some 40 paintings and works on paper document Cassatt’s creative process.
Hillwood presents its dazzling collection of 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century timepieces, displayed alongside historic and contemporary loans in an exhibit that chronicles the history of horology and watch-making. Visitors will discover how changing clock and watch styles, from rococo to Neoclassical, were in sync with trends in interior design.
A dazzling selection of saddle blankets, horse covers and other textiles dating back 1,300 years illustrates the vital role horses have played in Asian civilizations.
The museum shines a light on abstract work by notable 20th- and 21st-century female artists. More than 70 pieces on display in an array of media explore themes of representation, identity and power.
Three exhibitions capture the enduring influence of Henri Matisse. In “To See This Light Again,” works by the 20th-century French icon and Maryland painter Louis Fratino are juxtaposed, creating a dialogue between figural studies. “Matisse and Martinique” highlights how the Caribbean influenced the artist’s work, and “Matisse in Vence” examines the mural he created for […]
“Miró and the United States” reflects on the creative transatlantic symbiosis that occurred among Spanish artist Joan Miró (1893 to 1983) and his American artistic contemporaries, including Alexander Calder, Lee Krasner, Jackson Pollock and Helen Frankenthaler, during the post-war period from the 1940s to the 1960s.
A pair of paintings shown side by side illustrate how Hiroshi Senju and Bingyi reimagine their cultures’ rich artistic traditions. The former applies modern techniques to traditional Japanese methods, while the latter draws on historic Chinese ink painting in his approach. Though dramatically different, both pieces celebrate the beauty and power of water.
