Fall 2006 Special Exhibitions
A Compilation of Significant Shows by Stan Parchin,
Senior Correspondent for Museums and Special Exhibitions
Printer-friendly version
Albertina Museum
Vienna, Austria
Picasso: Painting Against TimeSeptember 22, 2006-January 7, 2007
Some 200 drawings, paintings, prints and sculptures by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) focus on the last years of his prolific career.
Alte Pinakothek
Munich, Germany
Leonardo: The Madonna with the CarnationSeptember 14-December 5, 2006
Leonardo da Vinci's Madonna and Child with a Carnation (1475-76) is displayed in light of new technical and analytical studies related to the painting. Works by students from the workshop of Italian Renaissance painter and sculptor Andrea del Verrocchio (1435-1488) join Leonardo's masterpiece.
American Museum of Natural History
New York, New York
GoldNovember 18, 2006-August 19, 2007
Explores the art, symbolism and science of Earth's magnificent malleable mineral throughout history and across civilizations. Among the precious objects on display will be: ancient Lydian, Byzantine and Spanish currency; rare textiles; and splendid examples of Mesoamerican jewelry.
Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Charles Sheeler: Across MediaOctober 7, 2006-January 7, 2007
Examines the influences of drawing, film, painting and photography on American artist Charles Sheeler (1883-1965) through some 50 of his works. Travels next to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, California from February 10 to May 6, 2007.
The Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology
Oxford, England
Imagining LeonardoAugust 9-November 5, 2006
A group of drawings by Italian High Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), rarely on display, forms the nucleus of a special exhibition that reveals how other artists and scholars interpreted the master's works.
The Bard Graduate Center for Studies in
the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture
New York, New York
Sheila Hicks: Weaving as MetaphorJuly 12-October 15, 2006
Some 150 distinctive small-scale weavings of American artist Sheila Hicks (b. 1934), culled from public and private collections worldwide, illustrate the artist's use of textiles as a metaphor for human connection and cultural diversity over a 50-year period.
Lions, Dragons, and Other Beasts: Aquamanilia
of the Middle Ages, Vessels for Church and Table
July 12-October 15, 2006
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's spectacular collection of medieval aquamanilia (hollow-cast vessels used by priests during the Mass and households at mealtimes) is assembled together majestically for the first time after extensive research. The objects on display are complemented by exquisite works of art from The Met and other museums, giving the precious utilitarian aquamanilia historical and cultural context.
The Blanton Museum of Art
Austin, Texas
Rembrandt's EtchingsAugust 4, 2006-December 10, 2007
More than 24 etchings by Dutch Baroque painter, engraver, draftsman and printmaker Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) from the museum's collection are assembled to celebrate the 400th anniversary of his birth.
Luca Cambiaso, 1527-1585
September 19, 2006-January 14, 2007
Some 60 paintings and 100 drawings, mostly by Italian artist Luca Cambiaso (1527-1585), describe the career of Genoa's first truly "modern" artist and the cultural milieu in which he worked.
The British Museum
London, England
French Drawings: Clouet to SeuratPart 1: 1500-1700 Clouet to La Fage
June 29-October 1, 2006
Part 2: 1700-1900 Watteau to Seurat
October 3, 2006-January 7, 2007
Nearly 100 works on paper, representing four centuries of French master drawings from The British Museum's collection, comprise this show. Many of them are seldom exhibited because of their sensitivity to light. Reflecting the courtly world of sixteenth-century France to nineteenth-century café society in Paris, masterpieces from the French Renaissance to Postimpressionism on display include works by Jean Clouet (1486-1540), Claude Lorrain (1604/5?–1682), Antoine Watteau (1684-1721), Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825), Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Paul Seurat (1859-1891) and Paul Cézanne (1839-1906).
Power & Taboo: Sacred Objects from the Pacific
September 28, 2006-January 7, 2007
More than 80 works of Oceanic art describe the Polynesians' powerful gods and explain their concept of tapu (taboo). The influence of Polynesian art on Modernists Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) and Henry Moore (1898-1986) is addressed.
Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn, New York
Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life, 1990-2005October 20, 2006-January 21, 2007
Some 100 images by American photographer Annie Leibovitz (b. 1949) cover a number of her recent professional assignments. Included are images that document facets of her personal life and Leibovitz's landscapes of the American West. Travels next to the San Diego Museum of Art, California from February 10 to April 22, 2007 and the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia from June to September 2007.
Bruce Museum of Arts and Science
Greenwich, Connecticut
Jan van der Heyden (1637-1712)September 16, 2006-January 10, 2007
Examines the cityscapes of Dutch Baroque artist Jan van der Heyden (1637-1712) through some 40 paintings and 20 drawings. Travels next to the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Busch-Reisinger Museum
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Rembrandt and the Aesthetics of TechniqueSeptember 9-December 10, 2006
More than 30 drawings, paintings and prints by Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) and members of his workshop demonstrate the importance of technique in the production of their works.
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Gatineau, Quebec
Petra: Lost City of StoneApril 2, 2006-January 7, 2007
More than 170 artworks and artifacts from Jordanian, American and European collections describe the Middle Eastern site of Petra from the First Century B.C. to the Sixth Century A.D. The exhibition explores: the art and architecture of the Nabataeans, Petra's inhabitants; their daily life and religious beliefs, as represented in their sculptures from before Roman rule through Byzantine times; the Nabataeans' artistic cross-fertilization with other ancient civilizations; and Petra's decline after the earthquake of 363 A.D.
Click here to read a review of the exhibition.
Michael C. Carlos Museum
Atlanta, Georgia
In Stabiano: Exploring the Ancient Seaside Villasof the Roman Elite
August 5-October 22, 2006
A complete three-wall triclinium room fresco, 24 wall paintings, stucco fragments and sculptures are among the 70 works of art on display. These ancient masterpieces come from four ancient Roman villas recently discovered near the Bay of Naples and the modern city of Castelammare di Stabiae in Italy. The exhibition describes the luxurious art and culture of the structures' occupants.
Amon Carter Museum
Fort Worth, Texas
Regarding the Land: Robert Glenn Ketchumand the Legacy of Eliot Porter
September 16, 2006-January 7, 2007
Eighty works of color photography by Eliot Porter (1901-1990) and Robert Glenn Ketchum (b. 1947) illustrate their landscapes, contrasting Porter's interest in natural history with Ketchum's eye for abstraction.
Christ Church Picture Gallery
Oxford, England
Leonardo and Milan: Drawings from the Guise CollectionAugust 9-November 5, 2006
The gallery exhibits rarely seen drawings by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), his pupils and followers. This exhibition describes the artists' individual achievements while documenting the aesthetic taste of British General John Guise (1682/83-1765), a grand collector of Leonardo's works on paper.
Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, Ohio
Barcelona and Modernity: Gaudí to DalíOctober 15, 2006-January 7, 2007
More than 200 drawings, paintings, posters, prints and sculptures, supplemented by architectural models, decorative objects, designs, furniture and video, describe the "Catalan Renaissance" in the history of modern Spanish art from before the Barcelona Universal Exhibition of 1888 through the beginning of Fascist rule in 1939. Travels next to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York from March 7 to June 3, 2007.
Columbia Museum of Art
Columbia, South Carolina
Frank Lloyd Wright and the House BeautifulNovember 10, 2006-February 4, 2007
More than 100 ephemera, drawings, pieces of furniture, examples of metal work and textiles by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) explain his philosophy of the "house beautiful" that integrated innovative architecture with home furnishings and other objects designed by him.
Dahesh Museum of Art
New York, New York
Napoleon on the Nile: Soldiers,Artists, and the Rediscovery of Egypt
June 8-December 31, 2006
Europe's fascination with the art and culture of Egypt from Napoleon's brief military occupation of the country (1798-1801) through the beginning of World War I is explored through numerous examples of the decorative arts, drawings, illustrated books, medals, paintings, photographs, prints and watercolors. On display are bound and unbound copies of the Déscription de L'Égypte (1809-1829).
Click here for a selection of images from the exhibition.
Salvador Dalí Museum
St. Petersburg, Florida
Dalí by the Decades: Dalí's Surreal CenturyAugust 4, 2006-January 2007
Drawings, oil paintings, photographs and watercolors from the museum's permanent collection describe the life and times of Spanish Surrealist Salvador Dalí (1904-1989). The exhibition explores how events between the two World Wars influenced symbolism in Dalí's art.
Dalí Zodiac
August 4, 2006-January 29, 2007
Divided into four sections, this exhibition presents: the Dalí Zodiac set of prints; the artist's personal Zodiac; a history of his Zodiac group; and an explanation of Catalan Mysticism's origins.
Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas, Texas
Van Gogh's Sheaves of WheatOctober 22, 2006-January 7, 2007
The centerpiece of this exhibition is Sheaves of Wheat (1890) by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). The recurring theme of wheat as a metaphor for the cycle of life and the plight of the agricultural worker is explored through works by van Gogh, Jean-François Millet (1814-1875), Camille Pissarro (1830-1903), Claude Monet (1840-1926) and Paul Gauguin (1848-1903).
Dayton Art Institute
Dayton, Ohio
Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art:Treasures from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
September 24, 2006-January 7, 2007
Landscapes, portraits, self-portraits, still-life paintings, Delftware, sculptures and objects of silver and glass describe the artists, working environments, living conditions and techniques of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) and other seventeenth-century Dutch artists. Works by Jan Steen (1626-1679), Gerard Dou (1613-1675), Pieter Claesz (1597/98-1660), Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750), Jacob van Ruisdael (1628/29-1682) and Hendrick Ter Brugghen (1588-1629) complement the masterpieces of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) in this ticketed exhibition. The influence of Roman Baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1573-1610) is examined.
The Detroit Institute of Arts
Detroit, Michigan
The Big Three in Printmaking:Dürer, Rembrandt and Picasso
September 13-December 31, 2006
Numerous examples of aquatint, drypoint, engraving, etching, linoleum cuts, lithography and woodcuts by Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) and Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) illustrate three high points in the history of Western European printmaking.
Annie Leibovitz: American Music
September 24, 2006-January 7, 2007
Seventy insightful works on paper by American photographer Annie Leibovitz (b. 1949) portray major personalities in the music industry from the late 1970s through the 1980s. These include Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen and others.
Click here for a selection of images in the exhibition.
Field Museum
Chicago, Illinois
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the PharaohsMay 29, 2006-January 1, 2007
This ticketed special exhibition features objects from the reign of the boy-king Tutankhamun's tomb (some of which were previously seen in the United States, minus the pharaoh's iconic Gold Mask) and other artworks from his predecessors' reigns. Included is the gilded gold coffin of the lady Tjuya. This time around, Tutankhamun is placed historically within the monotheistic maelstrom of his father, Akhenaten, by works of art that document his religious revolution. Objects specific to Tutankhamun's burial on display include the pharaoh's delicate royal diadem, discovered encircling the head of the king's mummified body, and one of the miniature canopic coffins that contained some of the young ruler's internal organs. The show climaxes with the recent forensic reconstruction of what Tutankhamun was supposed to have looked like. Travels next to The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from February 3 to September 30, 2007.
Fogg Art Museum
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Dissent!November 11, 2006-February 25, 2007
Beginning in the Sixteenth Century, more than 40 prints illustrate opposition to oppressive political, religious and social ideologies.
The Frick Art & Historical Center
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Off the Pedestal: New Women in theArt of Homer, Chase and Sargent
November 4, 2006-January 14, 2007
More than 100 works by Winslow Homer (1836-1910), William Merrritt Chase (1849-1916) and John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), among others, trace the development of the intelligent, professional and self-assured New Woman, a concept that emerged in American art after the Civil War.
The Frick Collection
New York, New York
Cimabue and Early Italian Devotional PaintingOctober 3-December 31, 2006
Reunites two panels depicting scenes from the life of Jesus Christ created by the Early Italian Renaissance painter Cimabue (act. 1272-1302). Manuscripts, small-scale altarpieces and examples of verre églomisé (gilded glass) help to situate Cimabue's works historically.
Domenico Tiepolo (1727-1804): A New Testament
October 24, 2006-January 7, 2007
Some 60 finished ink drawings from 313 large ones that comprise the reassembled New Testament cycle of Venetian artist Domenico Tiepolo (1727-1804) are on display. They illustrate the level of artistic sophistication achieved by Tiepolo during his lifetime.
Masterpieces of European Painting
from The Cleveland Museum of Art
November 8, 2006-January 28, 2007
While The Cleveland Museum of Art undergoes a major expansion and renovation, 13 of its Old Master paintings grace The Frick Collection's walls. Works by Fra Filippo Lippi (1406-1469), El Greco (ca. 1541-1614), Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1573-1610), Frans Hals (ca. 1581-1666), Georges de la Tour (1593-1652), Diego de Velázquez (1599–1660) and Jacques-Louis David (1748–1825), among others, comprise the exhibition.
Frist Center for the Visual Arts
Nashville, Tennessee
The Quest for Immortality: Treasures from Ancient EgyptJune 9-October 8, 2006
The ancient Egyptian idea of the afterlife is dramatically explored through 143 magnificent works of art, all from Egypt and many never displayed publicly outside of their homeland. The show includes a life-sized reproduction of the burial chamber of Pharaoh Thutmose III (ca. 1479-1458 B.C.). This is the largest selection of antiquities ever to be loaned by Egypt to North America. They range in date from the New Kingdom (1550-1069 B.C.) through the Late Period (664-332 B.C.). Included are luxurious objects that furnished tombs, jewelry, painted reliefs, religious implements, a sarcophagus richly painted with scenes of the afterlife and a model of the royal barge that symbolically carried the pharaohs along the Nile River and into the afterlife. Travels next to the Portland Art Museum from November 5, 2006 to March 4, 2007.
Bedazzled: 5000 Years of Jewelry from
the Walters Art Museum
September 16, 2006-January 14, 2007
Across cultures and time, precious pieces of jewelry from the Second Millennium B.C. to the early Twentieth Century have been expressions of creativity, wealth and power. A Syrian gold crown, Egyptian amulet necklace, pair of gold Roman snake bracelets, Visigothic fibulae (pins or clasps), Spanish Baroque crystal crucifix and Tiffany diamond necklace are among the highlights of this exhibition.
Galleria degli Uffizi
Florence, Italy
The Mind of Leonardo da Vinci:The Universal Genius at Work
March 6, 2006-January 7, 2007
Displaying numerous drawings, some paintings and expertly constructed working models of machines designed by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), this special exhibition will explore the Italian Renaissance master's "universal" role in contributions to the development of art, anatomical studies, science and technology. The fertile mind of this sophisticated artist and draftsman is demystified, allowing one to see Leonardo as the consummate investigator and inventive architect of his time. Leonardo's insatiable desire to unify all facets of knowledge, aimed at attaining a perfect imitation of nature in his artistic works, is evident in this special exhibition.
J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles, California
Rubens and Brueghel: A Working FriendshipJuly 5-September 24, 2006
Technical findings document the collaborative efforts of Flemish painters Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) and Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625) through more than 12 paintings, some created with the assistance of their contemporaries. Travels next to the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague from October 21, 2006 to January 28, 2007.
Rubens and His Printmakers
July 5-September 24, 2006
Explores the close relationship between Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) and his cadre of printmakers. Rubens' workshop assistants replicated his drawings, paintings and designs for tapestries, disseminating the master's artistic style and making him famous in seventeenth-century Europe.
Landscape in the Renaissance
August 1-October 15, 2006
Outstanding manuscript illuminations from the Getty Museum explore Renaissance man's development of landscape painting and his need to portray natural phenomena accurately.
From Caspar David Friedrich to Gerhard Richter:
German Paintings from Dresden
October 6, 2006-April 29, 2007
Eighteen paintings from Dresden's Galerie Neue Meister represent the careers of German Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840) and contemporary artist Gerhard Richter (b. 1932), best known for his photographically inspired works. In addition, 12 other German paintings created between 1800 and World War I by artists such as Gustav Carus (1789-1869) and Otto Dix (1891-1969) appear in the Getty Museum's galleries, juxtaposed with comparable works from its permanent collection.
Guercino: Mind to Paper
October 17, 2006-January 21, 2007
This international loan exhibition focuses on the drawings of the largely self-taught Italian Baroque artist Giovanni Francesco Barberi (1591-1666). Called Guercino because he was cross-eyed, the dramatic lighting of his emotionally intense altarpieces brings the viewer illusionistically into the space of his paintings. This exhibition highlights Guercino's unconventional working methods that helped convey a sense of drama and movement in his compositions.
The Gospels in Medieval Manuscript Illumination
October 31, 2006-January 7, 2007
Twenty-one medieval manuscripts demonstrate how the New Testament Gospels of Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were decorated in terms of portraiture and the life of Jesus Christ.
Holy Image, Hallowed Ground: Icons from Sinai
November 14, 2006-March 4, 2007
Some 43 Byzantine icons, six manuscripts, a liturgical textile and other religious objects from St. Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai are on display at the Getty Museum, accompanied by works from other collections.
Read more about the exhibition here.
The Getty Villa
Malibu, California
Stories in Stone: Conserving Mosaics of Roman Africa--Masterpieces from the National Museums of Tunisia
October 26, 2006-April 30, 2007
Twenty-seven mosaics from Roman North Africa, dating from the Second through Sixth Centuries A.D. and used to decorate the floors of public and private spaces, are on loan to the Getty Villa from Tunisia. Topics explored in the special exhibition include nature, theatre, mythology and religion.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
New York, New York
El Greco to Picasso: Time, Truth, and HistoryNovember 17, 2006-Spring 2007
This exceptional loan exhibition brings together approximately 135 paintings by Spanish artists from the Sixteenth to the Twentieth Century. In an attempt to reevaluate the traditional interpretations of Spanish art, the works are arranged thematically rather than chronologically, dealing with such subjects as everyday life, history, mythology and religion. Artists represented include El Greco (ca. 1541-1614), Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664), Diego Velázquez (1599-1660), Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617-1682), Francisco de Goya (1746-1828), Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Joan Miró (1893-1983) and Salvador Dalí (1904-1989).
High Museum of Art
Atlanta, Georgia
Kings as CollectorsOctober 14, 2006-September 7, 2007
The first installment of a historic three-year collaboration between the High Museum of Art and Paris' Musée du Louvre, this exhibition features 32 world-renowned paintings, complemented by sculptures and antiquities collected during the reigns of Louis XIV (r. 1643-1715) and Louis XVI (r. 1774-1793). Baldassare Castiglione (1516), the famous portrait by Italian High Renaissance master Raphael (1483-1520), is on view through January 21, 2007.
The King's Drawings
October 14, 2006-January 21, 2007
This focus exhibition from Paris' Musée du Louvre includes some 60 drawings, most never seen before in the United States, by masters such as Northern Renaissance artists Matthias Grünewald (1475/80-1528) and Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528). The highlight of this show is Raphael's Head of an Angel, a study completed for The Expulsion of Heliodorus (ca. 1512), one of his famous Vatican frescoes.
Indianapolis Museum of Art
Indianapolis, Indiana
Rembrandt: Face to FaceAugust 6-November 26, 2006
Self-portraits of Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) illustrate the master's inventive use of light and shadow, brilliant brushwork and preoccupation with human facial features.
Katonah Museum of Art
Katonah, New York
Ancient Art of the CycladesOctober 1-December 31, 2006
Introduces the viewer to the simple geometric shapes of female sculpture from Greece's Cycladic islands in the Third Millennium B.C. This art form influenced the Modernist works of Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957), Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) and Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920). Stone vessels from the same period are also on display.
Kimbell Art Museum
Fort Worth, Texas
Hatshepsut: From Queen to PharaohAugust 27-December 31, 2006
Hatshepsut (r. 1473-1458 B.C.), the female pharaoh of Egypt's Eighteenth Dynasty, is the subject of an international loan exhibition. She ruled ancient Egypt for two decades, first as regent for, and then as co-ruler with, her nephew Thutmose III (r. 1479-1425 B.C.). During Hatshepsut's reign, trade relations with foreign lands were expanded. Interestingly, subtle innovations in royal sculpture allowed the queen to be portrayed as pharaoh. Sculptures from Hatshepsut's monumental mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri reflect the prosperity of her time. After Hatshepsut's mysterious disappearance, Thutmose III obliterated her name and images from a number of public monuments. In a vain iconoclastic attempt to eliminate the memory of his aunt's accomplishments, Thutmose III inadvertently left wondrous artworks for modern-day Egyptologists to interpret.
Read the full review.
View a gallery of images from the exhibition.
Kunsthistorisches Museum
Vienna, Austria
Bellini, Giorgione, Titian, and the Renaissance ofVenetian Painting
October 17, 2006-January 7, 2007
Some 60 Italian portraits, female nudes and landscapes from the first three decades of the Sixteenth Century help to reveal a specific artistic phenomenon that occured in Renaissance Venice. One highlight of the show is Titian's Pastoral Concert, more popularly known as Concert Champętre (ca. 1510), on special loan from the Musée du Louvre for this occasion.
Read more about the special exhibition.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles, California
Magritte and Contemporary Art: The Treachery of ImagesNovember 19, 2006-March 4, 2007
LACMA's The Treachery of Images (This is not a pipe) (ca. 1928-29) by René Magritte (1898–1967) is the centerpiece of a special exhibition that examines the Belgian Surrealist's influence on Pop, Conceptual and Post-Modern Art. Some 50 masterpieces by Magritte are displayed with works by Jasper Johns (b. 1930), Vija Celmins (b. 1939), Ed Ruscha (b. 1937), Joseph Kosuth (b. 1945) and Jeff Koons (b. 1955), artists inspired by the master of pictorial illusion.
Magdalen College
Oxford, England
The Last Supper from Leonardo's CircleAugust 9-November 5, 2006
Attributed to Giampetrino (act. ca. 1495-1549), the Royal Academy of Arts' Last Supper was influenced by that of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) in Milan's refectory of Santa Maria della Grazia. Giampetrino's work is on view at Magdalen College, placed in a fifteenth-century religious setting.
Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
Cleveland, Ohio
Cradle of Christianity: Treasures from the Holy LandApril 1-October 22, 2006
Traces the development of Christianity from the First through the Seventh Century A.D. through precious works of art and artifacts from the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Travels next to the Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Florida from December 7, 2006 to April 15, 2007.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Memphis, Tennessee
Masterpieces from an English Country House:The Fitzwilliam Collection
September 16-December 3, 2006
Thirty-two Dutch, English, Flemish, French and Italian Old Master paintings, a complete set of Birds of America by John James Audubon (1785-1851) and pieces of English porcelain comprise this special exhibition from Great Britain. Artists represented include Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), Claude Lorraine (1604/5-1682) and Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792).
McMullen Museum of Art
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Cosmophilia: Islamic Art fromthe David Collection, Copenhagen
September 1-December 31, 2006
Examines the four major forms of rich ornamentation (textual, vegetal/arabesque, geometric and figural) in Islamic art from Spain to India over the course of a millennium. Such elaborate decoration was used on religious and secular objects from tablewares to tapestries. Travels next to the Smart Museum of Art, Chicago, Illinois from February 1 to May 20, 2007.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York, New York
The Fabric of Life: Ikat Textiles of IndonesiaFebruary 28-September 24, 2006
The diverse form and function of Indonesian fabrics known as ikat are explored in this exhibition. From infant wrappings to funerary shrouds, the show explores the varied geometric and figural patterns in the textiles on display.
Rembrandt Drawings and Prints: A Selection
in Honor of the Artist's 400th Birthday
July 11-October 15, 2006
The 400th anniversary of the birth of Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) is celebrated with a display of 44 works on paper by the master himself and another 14 images by artists of his school, drawn almost exclusively from two collections at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Rembrandt's famous Christ Crucified between the Two Thieves: The Three Crosses is a highlight of the exhibition. Click here for more information about the exhibition.
Brush and Ink: The Chinese Art of Writing
September 2, 2006-January 21, 2007
This show features 70 works of art that illustrate Chinese calligraphy over its 1600-year history, starting in the Fourth Century A.D.
Cézanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard,
Patron of the Avant-Garde
September 14, 2006-January 7, 2007
Examines the career of Parisian art dealer Ambroise Vollard (1866-1939) through masterpieces by the artists whom he represented: Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), Henri Matisse (1869-1954), Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940) and others. One highlight of the exhibition is Gauguin's Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? (1897). Ceramics, prints and sculptures commissioned by Vollard round out The Met's presentation of these works. Travels next to the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois from February 7 to May 13, 2007 and the Musée d'Orsay, Paris from June 4 to September 14, 2007.
Set in Stone: The Face in Medieval Sculpture
September 26, 2006-February 18, 2007
More than 80 sculpted heads dating from the Third Century A.D. through the early years of the Sixteenth Century trace the development of the human face in medieval statuary. The artworks on display, made from limestone, marble, polychromed wood, silver and silver gilt, represent the French, Byzantine, German, Italian and English artistic traditions in medieval sculpture. Issues of connoisseurship, iconoclasm, portraiture, religion and usage are considered.
Americans in Paris 1860-1900
October 24, 2006-January 28, 2007
Paris was the center of the art world in the Nineteenth Century. This exhibition explores why American artists were lured to Paris, especially after the 1860s, what they found there and how they reacted to it, through the works of James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903), John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937) and his former teacher, Thomas Eakins (1844-1916), among others. A highlight of the show is Sargent's Portrait of Madame X (1883-84).
Sean Scully: Wall of Light
September 26, 2006-January 14, 2007
Irish-born American Abstract painter Sean Scully (b. 1945) has been profoundly influenced by twentieth-century masters Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) and Mark Rothko (1903-1970). Geometric shapes and vivid colors characterize his Wall of Light, an expanding series of paintings, pastels, photographs, prints and watercolors begun in the 1990s.
Coaxing the Spirits to Dance: Art of the Papuan Gulf
October 24, 2006-September 2, 2007
Late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century sculptures from the Papuan Gulf of New Guinea represent supernatural entities that Oceanic peoples placated for needs of their daily existence.
Middlebury College Museum of Art
Middlebury, Vermont
Treasures from the Royal Tombs of UrSeptember 14-December 10, 2006
This special exhibition explores the spectacular art and material culture of ancient Sumer in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) through more than 200 objects from Ur. Featured in the show are: the recently reconstructed Ram in the Thicket (actually a goat); the musical Great Lyre; and the ornate headdress, jewelry and precious accessories from the tomb of Lady Puabi, dating back to the Third Millennium B.C.
Read the full review.
Click here for additional images from the exhibition.
Milwaukee Art Museum
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Biedermeier: The Invention of SimplicitySeptember 16, 2006-January 1, 2007
The Biedermeier period in Central European art from 1815 to 1830 is represented by approximately 300 Austrian, Czechoslovakian and German decorative objects, paintings, pieces of furniture and works on paper in this international loan exhibition. Travels next to the Albertina Museum in Vienna, Austria, February 2-May 13, 2007.
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Montreal, Quebec
Girodet: Romantic RebelOctober 12, 2006-January 21, 2007
Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson (1767-1824) was the rebellious student of Neoclassical painter Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825). More than 100 paintings and works on paper, devoted to portraiture, mythology and the military accomplishments of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), illustrate Girodet's artistic style and how his oeuvre was influenced by the French Revolution and its aftermath.
Odilon Redon's Haunted Realm: Lithographs from the
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the National Gallery of Canada
October 12, 2006 to January 21, 2007
A rich selection of lithographs by French Symbolist painter Odilon Redon (1840-1916) explores many of the psychologically disturbing themes recurrent in his works.
Morgan Library & Museum
New York, New York
Celebrating Rembrandt: Etchings from the MorganJuly 15-October 1, 2006
Etchings by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) from the Morgan Library & Museum demonstrate the Dutch's artist's artistic virtuosity in the medium through rare examples of Biblical narratives, landscapes, the nude, portraiture and scenes of everyday life.
From Rembrandt to van Gogh:
Dutch Drawings from the Morgan
July 15-October 1, 2006
Some 40 masterpieces of Dutch drawing from the Seventeenth through the Nineteenth Centuries. Genre and pastoral scenes, landscapes, marine views, portraits and still-life images abound in this exceptional special exhibition.
Musée d'Orsay
Paris, France
Maurice Denis: Earthly ParadiseOctober 31, 2006-January 21, 2007
A splendid retrospective of the works of Nabi painter Maurice Denis (1870-1943) includes his commissions for churches, public buildings and theaters. Travels next to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Quebec from February 22 to May 20, 2007 and the Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, Italy from July 21 to September 21, 2007.
Museo Civico Archeologico
Bologna, Italy
Annibale CarracciSeptember 22, 2006-January 7, 2007
Surveys the career of the innovative seventeenth-century Italian artist Annibale Carracci (1560-1609) through many of his portraits, altarpieces, landscapes, drawings and prints from his beginnings in Bologna to his maturity in Rome.
Museo Nacional del Prado
Madrid, Spain
The Hidden LineJuly 21-November 5, 2006
The results of infrared reflectography on a number of the museum's Renaissance paintings allow the viewer to examine the artists' original drawings underneath layers of paint in their masterpieces, revealing the changes they made to their compositions before the works were completed.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Boston, Massachusetts
Domains of Wonder: Masterworks of Indian PaintingSeptember 20-November 26, 2006
More than 120 delicate works of art from the San Diego Museum of Art describe the history and vitality of Indian court painting from the Fourteenth through the early Twentieth Century. Manuscript leaves and album paintings depict Jain saints, Hindu deities and court ceremonies.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Houston, Texas
Best in Show: The Dog in Art fromthe Renaissance to Today
October 1, 2006-January 1, 2007
Dog imagery has been used in art from the Renaissance through modern times to express social attitudes in Western culture. Examples in engraving, painting, sculpture and photography attest to this fact. Artists such as Titian (1488-1576), Gerrit Dou (1613-1675), George Stubbs (1724-1806), Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899), Andy Warhol (1928-1987) and Jeff Koons (b. 1955) are represented in this entertaining exhibition.
The Modern West: American Landscapes, 1890-1950
October 29, 2006-January 28, 2007
Some 100 paintings, photographs and watercolors describe the influence of the American West on Modernism in American art. How Modernism has influenced the popular perception of the American West is also explored.
Museum of the History of Science
Oxford, England
Leonardo and the Mathematical ArtsAugust 9-November 5, 2006
Instruments for drawing, surveying, astronomy and telling time from the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries describe the mathematical culture of the Renaissance. The exhibition demonstrates how Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) worked within and beyond the standard definition of "the mathematical arts" in Renaissance Europe.
Museum of Modern Art
New York, New York
Brice Marden: A Retrospective of Paintings and DrawingsOctober 29, 2006-January 15, 2007
Galleries on two floors of MoMA have been set aside for this chronological retrospective of more than 100 paintings and works on paper by the contemporary American artist Brice Marden (b. 1938). The works on display reveal Marden's early preoccupation with color, light and surface as well as his recent fascination with calligraphic forms.
Manet and the Execution of Maximilian
November 5, 2006-January 29, 2007
Several works by French Realist painter Édouard Manet (1832-1883) depicting the execution of Mexico's abandoned Emperor Maximilian on June 19, 1867 are reunited for this special exhibition.
National Gallery
London, England
Cézanne in BritainOctober 4, 2006-January 7, 2007
Some 40 works by French Post-impressionist painter Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), drawn entirely from British public and private collections, trace his career from the 1860s until his death. The role of collectors, critics and museums in the development of Cézanne's notoriety is also explained.
Velázquez
October 18, 2006-January 21, 2007
Great Britain's first retrospective of the career of Spanish Baroque painter Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez (1599-1660) thoroughly examines: his origins in Seville, Spain; works produced while court painter to King Philip IV (r. 1621-1665); his Italian interludes; and the artist's last days. Almost half of the artist's surviving works, gathered together for this exhibition, demonstrate his ability to paint realistically while imbuing his portraits and masterpieces of religious and mythological themes with intense psychological insight.
National Gallery of Art
Washington, D.C.
Henri Rousseau: Jungles in ParisJuly 16-October 15, 2006
The special exhibition explores the theme of the jungle through 60 allegorical paintings, fantastic landscapes and portraits by the self-taught French artist Henri Rousseau (1844-1910). He was admired by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) and the Surrealists for his bold primitive style and the dreamlike characteristics of his paintings. Having never left France, Rousseau's art was influenced by the botanical gardens, the zoo and pictorial reproductions of exotic locales and animals, many displayed in the show.
Prayers and Portraits: Unfolding the Netherlandish Diptych
November 12, 2006-February 4, 2007
Eighty-five paintings from the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries explore the diptych (two-panel) format in Early Netherlandish and Northern Renaissance art within the context of contemporary writings and religious practices. Recent findings about the artists' painting techniques and workshop practices are also examined. Travels next to the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp, Belgium from March 3 to May 27, 2007.
Strokes of Genius: Rembrandt's Prints and Drawings
November 19, 2006-March 18, 2007
Accompanied by several loans from American private collections, this exhibition displays many of the museum's etchings and drawings by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669).
The Artist's Vision: Romantic Traditions in Britain
November 19, 2006-March 18, 2007
British drawings dating from the end of the Eighteenth through the dawn of the Twentieth Century illustrate trends in Romantic art: a genuine interest in the individual and the visionary; a revived taste for medieval art; and a rebellion against artistic conventions of the time. A highlight of the exhibition is Desdemona's Death Song (1875/80) by Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882), recently acquired by the museum.
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
Copenhagen, Denmark
Women and ImpressionismOctober 6, 2006-January 21, 2007
This international loan exhibition investigates how revolutionary the French Impressionists' depictions of women really were through works by Édouard Manet (1832-1883), Claude Monet (1840-1926), Berthe Morisot (1841-1895), Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) and other painters of the period.
Oklahoma City Museum of Art
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Temples and Tombs: Treasures of Egyptian Art fromThe British Museum
September 7-November 26, 2006
Some 85 objects from The British Museum (cosmetic and funerary items, jewelry, papyri, reliefs and sculptures) describe the development of art and culture in ancient Egypt from predynastic times to the Fourth Century A.D. The exhibition is divided into four sections that explore: the pharaoh and the temple; objects associated with artists and nobles; Egyptians as portrayed in temple and tomb sculpture; and the role of the tomb in death and the afterlife. Travels next to The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens from December 22, 2006 to March 18, 2007 and the North Carolina Museum of Art from April 15 to July 8, 2007.
Oriental Institute Museum
Chicago, Illinois
Wonderful Things! The Discovery of the Tombof Tutankhamun: The Harry Burton Photographs
May 23-October 8, 2006
Photographs by Harry Burton (1879-1940) document the discovery of the tomb of ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun (ca. 1336-1327 B.C.) and its splendid contents. Travels next to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York from December 19, 2006 to April 29, 2007.
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Treasures/Tesoros/Tesouros:The Arts in Latin America, 1492–1820
September 20-December 31, 2006
Chronicles more than three centuries of Latin American ceramics, metalwork, painting, sculpture and textiles, beginning with the Age of Exploration.
The Phillips Collection
Washington, D.C.
The Société Anonyme: Modernism for AmericaOctober 14, 2006-January 21, 2007
This exhibition explores the influence of twentieth-century avant-garde artists on the development of Modernism in American art through some 130 rarely seen works by Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957), Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) and Max Ernst (1891-1976), among others.
Phoenix Art Museum
Phoenix, Arizona
Demonic Divine in Himalayan ArtSeptember 23, 2006-December 17, 2006
Fifty-three paintings and sculptures dating from the Eleventh to the Nineteenth Century illustrate the wrathful yet protective deities from the principal religions of Tibet and Nepal.
Neapolitan Baroque: Masterpieces
from the Capodimonte Museum
December 10, 2006-March 4, 2007
Fifty paintings from the National Museum of Capidomonte illustrate the golden age of painting in seventeenth-century Naples with examples (many never seen before in the United States) by artists such as Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1651/53), Luca Giordano (1632-1705), Jusepe de Ribera (1591-1642) and others.
Portland Art Museum
Portland, Oregon
The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient EgyptNovember 5, 2006-March 4, 2007
The ancient Egyptian idea of the afterlife is dramatically explored through 143 magnificent objects, all from Egypt and many never seen outside of their homeland. The show includes a life-sized reproduction of the burial chamber of the New Kingdom pharaoh Thutmose III (ca. 1479-1458 B.C.). The artworks exhibited, the largest selection of antiquities ever to be loaned by Egypt to North America, range in date from the New Kingdom (1550-1069 B.C.) through the Late Period (664-332 B.C.). They include luxurious objects that furnished tombs, jewelry, painted reliefs, religious implements, a sarcophagus richly painted with scenes of the afterlife and a model of the royal barge that symbolically carried the pharaohs along the Nile River and into the afterlife. Travels next to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston from September 2 to December 31, 2007.
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
Sarasota, Florida
Master Drawings from the Yale University Art GalleryOctober 19, 2006-January 7, 2007
This exhibition of some 85 French, German, Italian and Netherlandish drawings from the late Fifteenth Century through the middle of the Nineteenth Century, in various genres and mediums, includes a late-medieval model-book, preparatory drawings for paintings, prints and sketches. Travels next to the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, Texas from June 1 to August 12, 2007 and the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut from February 12 to June 8, 2008.
Royal Academy of Arts
London, England
Modigliani and His ModelsJuly 8-October 15, 2006
This show includes some 55 works by sculptor and painter Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920). His innovative portraits and nudes, often misunderstood, made him an outstanding artist in the history of Modernism.
Rodin
September 23, 2006-January 1, 2007
Explores chronologically the main sources of inspiration for French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) through his drawings and sculptures. Photographs of the artist with his works and some of the antiquities that influenced his art are also on view. Travels next to the Kunsthaus Zürich, Switzerland from February 9 to May 20, 2007.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Washington, D.C.
In the Beginning: Bibles Before the Year 1000October 21, 2006-January 7, 2007
Examines the art of various codices that comprise the Bible from the Second to the Tenth Centuries A.D. Included are fragmentary sheets of papyri, works on parchment and rare inscribed manuscripts.
Schallaburg Castle
Melk, Austria
Genghis Khan and His Heirs: The Empire of the MongolsMarch 31-November 1, 2007
Describes the artistic, cultural and political achievements of the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan (ca. 1162-1227) and his successors.
Smart Museum of Art
Chicago, Illinois
The Image as Homage: Portrait of the ArtistNovember 21, 2006-April 7, 2007
European and American works on paper, along with two sculptures, demonstrate what happens in portraiture when one artist tries to pay tribute visually to another one.
Tate Britain
London, England
Holbein in EnglandSeptember 28, 2006-January 7, 2007
This international loan exhibition brings together major works of art by Hans Holbein (1497/8-1543). He brought Renaissance artistic ideas to England while in the employ of the tumultuous Tudor court, Holbein's most prominent patron having been King Henry VIII (1491-1547).
University of Pennsylvania Museum
of Archaeology & Anthropology
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Under European Eyes: Conquistadorsand Arts of the New World
September 23, 2006-February 26, 2007
More than 40 Mexican, Central and South American artifacts describe how the European conquerors from the Age of Exploration regarded the New World's indigenous peoples and were influenced by their art.
Amarna, Ancient Egypt's Place in the Sun
November 12, 2006-October 2007
More than 100 artworks and artifacts, computer recreations, drawings, maps and photographs describe the cultural milieu, royal court and city of Amarna, the capital of ancient Egypt's "heretic pharaoh" Akhenaten (ca. 1353-1336 B.C.), the father of Tutankhamun (ca. 1336-1327 B.C.).
Whitney Museum of American Art
New York, NY
Picasso and American ArtSeptember 28, 2006-January 28, 2007
Works by artists Max Weber, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol, among others, demonstrate the influence of Pablo Picasso on the course of American art in the Twentieth Century. Travels next to the San Francisco Museum of Art, California and the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Van Gogh Museum
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Vincent van Gogh and ExpressionismNovember 24, 2006-March 4, 2007
Demonstrates the influence of Dutch Post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) on Expressionist artists such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938) and Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980). Travels next to the Neue Galerie, New York from March 23 to July 2, 2007.
Victoria & Albert Museum
London, England
Leonardo da Vinci: Experience, Experiment and DesignSeptember 14, 2006-January 7, 2007
This ticketed special exhibition explores the "laboratory of the mind" of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and how he thought on paper, a rare commodity in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Europe. Divided into four sections, drawings, codices, notebooks, film animations and three-dimensional models illustrate the Italian High Renaissance master's inventions, ideas about the age-long transformation of the earth and motion of water, the role of mathematical proportion in the universe, anatomical studies and works on geometry, hydraulic machines and weights.
At Home in Renaissance Italy
October 5, 2006-January 7, 2007
Explores the relationship between urban homes and the visual arts in Renaissance Italy through ceramics, furniture, paintings, sculptures, textiles and the decorative arts in the household setting of a typical palazzo. Evokes the experience of everyday life in the Renaissance home through artworks and objects from the Victoria & Albert Museum and other international collections.
Yale Center for British Art
New Haven, Connecticut
Art & Music in Britain: Four Encounters, 1730-1900October 5-December 31, 2006
Explores the relationship between the visual arts and music at several critical junctures in British history. The exhibition is divided into four sections: Handel's London, Music and Polite Society, Romantic Landscapes and Aspiring to the Condition to Music.
Canaletto in England: A Venetian Artist Abroad, 1746-1755
October 19-December 31, 2006
On display are more than 60 paintings and drawings produced by Italian artist Giovanni Antonio Canal (1697-1768), called Canaletto, during his nearly ten-year stay on London. Included are his depictions of London's new architecture and country houses as well as his capricci (highly imaginative views). Travels next to the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, England from January 24 to April 15, 2007.
**************************
From your Guide: Stan Parchin, Senior Correspondent for Museums and Special Exhibitions, is a specialist in ancient, late-medieval and Renaissance art and history, and a regular contributor to About Art History. You may read all of his Special Exhibition and Catalogue Reviews here.
