Art Across America
Arizona
Phoenix
Phoenix Art Museum
Secret World of the Forbidden City: Spendors from China's Imperial Palace
Through April 7
Some 300 artifacts offer a glimpse of life within the walls of China's Imperial Palace, or Forbidden City, so named because entry was restricted. The Qing Dynasty ruled there from 1644 to 1911. Most objects have never been publicly viewed before.
(602) 257-1222 or www.phxart.org
Little Rock
The Arkansas Arts Center
Benjamin Krain: From the Streets of Cuba
Jan. 18 - March 3
A photojournalist for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Krain visited Cuba last year and chronicled his experiences on the streets of Havana and nearby cities. The collection blends documentary-style and fine art.
(501) 372-4000 or www.arkarts.com
San Francisco
Legion of Honor
Dreaming with Open Eyes: Dada and Surrealist Art from The Vera, Silvia, and Arturo Schwarz Collection in the Israel Museum
Feb. 2 - April 28
Features 200 pieces by such creative, convention-challenging artists as Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, Joan Miró, and Man Ray. Works are in all media.
www.thinker.org/legion/exhibitions
National Gallery of Art
A Century of Drawing: Works on Paper from Degas to LeWitt
Through April 7
The exhibition presents the finest 20th-century drawings in the National Gallery from both American and European artists, including Degas, Picasso, Pollock, and Matisse.
(202) 737-4215 or www.nga.gov
The Phillips Collection
Corot to Picasso: European Masterworks from the Smith College Museum of Art
Feb. 16 - May 12
Sixty European paintings and sculptures from the late 18th to early 20th centuries will be displayed, including French Impressionists and early modernist works. (202) 387-2151 or
www.phillipscollection.org
Atlanta
High Museum of Art
After the Scream: The Late Paintings of Edvard Munch
Feb. 6 - May 5
Features Munch's later works (through the 1940s), including self-portraits. Pieces from his last 30 years aren't nearly as well known as his early prints and paintings.
(404) 733-4400 or www.high.org
Louisville
The Speed Art Museum
A Brush with History: Paintings from the National Portrait Gallery
Through Jan. 27
The show includes 75 well-known portraits of US statesmen, inventors, writers, singers, and scientists from the 18th century to the present.
(502) 634-2700 or
www.speedmuseum.org
Stockbridge
The Norman Rockwell Museum
Speak Softy and Carry a Beagle: The Art of Charles Schulz
Through May 5
Spans 50 years of work by Peanuts creator Charles Schulz. His original comic strips, studies, photographs, and art materials are displayed, along with Peanuts memorabilia.
(413) 298-4100 or www.nrm.org
Detroit
The Detroit Institute of Arts
Small Wonder: Worlds in a Box
Through Feb. 3
This photo exhibit by David Levinthal includes 50 large pictures of toys, play sets, figurines, and circus performers from the 1950s, offering perspective on America's pop culture.
(313) 833-7900 or www.dia.org
Saint Louis
Saint Louis Art Museum
John Singer Sargent: Beyond the Portrait Studio
Feb. 9 - May 12
The show features brilliant watercolors and drawings Sargent worked on while he traveled in Switzerland, Spain, Morocco, Venice, and the English countryside. He was inspired by architecture and landscapes.
(314) 721-0072 or www.slam.org
New York
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Art and Life of Jacob Lawrence
Through Feb. 3
Lawrence (1917-2000) documented both the African-American experience and humanity's struggle for social justice through his bold, colorful, and patterned compositions. More than 200 works are featured.
(212) 570-3676 or www.whitney.org
Brooklyn Museum of Art
Eternal Egypt: Masterworks of Ancient Art from the British Museum
Through Feb. 24
Some 150 artworks spanning 3,500 years, from Egypt's first dynasty to the Roman conquest, are displayed. Exhibition includes such pieces as a 5,000-pound granite lion and 9-inch silver-gold statue of the god Amun.
(718) 638-5000, www.brooklynart.org
Philadelphia
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Italian Renaissance Ceramics: The Howard and Janet Stein Collection
Through April 28
A collection of 70 pieces of tin-glazed earthenware (majolica), brilliantly colored and shaped ceramics. Majolica is the only Renaissance decorative art to survive in large numbers. Includes works by ceramic painters Maestro Giorgio Andreoli and Fontana family.
www.philamuseum.org
houston
The Museum of Fine Arts
Texas Flags: 1836-1945
Jan. 13 - April 28
Exhibit of 32 flags that have flown over the Lone Star State, including flags from Texas Civil War units and a handmade Stars and Stripes that flew after the collapse of the Confederacy.
(713) 639-7300 or www.mfah.org
Richmond
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Worlds of Wonder and Desire: Indian Paintings from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Through Feb. 24
Exhibit shows the history of Indian painting from the 12th to early 20th century. Watercolors on ivory, palm leaf, and cloth depict gods of India's religions, royal courts, and seasons.
(804) 340-1400 www.vmfa.state.va.us
Seattle
Seattle Art Museum
Harmonizing with the Infinite: Seattle Collects Chinese Art. Part II
Through April 7
Exhibition of traditional and modern Chinese artwork from private collections. The 30 to 40 pieces include paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, and ceramics on such subjects as saints, poets, politicians, and landscapes.
www.seattleartmuseum.org
Milwaukee
Milwaukee Art Museum
Milton Avery: The Late Paintings
Through Jan. 27
Exhibit of 50 oils by modernist Milton Avery (1885-1965), whose paintings combine realism and abstraction.
(414) 224-3220 or www.mam.org
