EMPRESSES OF CHINA’S FORBIDDEN CITY, 1644–1912 @ SACKLER GALLERY
The Freer and Sackler Galleries’ largest exhibition in a decade reveals the untold stories of Qing Dynasty empresses, who wielded influence over a span of 260 years. These were no subservient women but powerful figures who would make Joan Crawford look like a lightweight. According to the museum, these women “frequently traveled, rode horses, and performed myriad royal duties, from playing a dynamic role in the imperial family to being praised as the “Mother of the State.” Many items on view come from the Palace Museum and have never been exhibited outside China. Objects include royal portraits, religious items, jewelry, and furnishings.
On view through June 23 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Open 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. daily. FREE
THE AMERICAN PRE-RAPHAELITES: RADICAL REALISTS @ NGA
Influential 19th century English art critic John Ruskin wrote in his book Modern Painters that “If you can paint one leaf, you can paint the world.” This call to brushes inspired a group of artists who would be known as the American Pre-Raphaelites. Unlike their English counterparts, who applied their realism to lush romantic narratives, American painters concentrated on landscapes and still-lifes—and I mean concentrated, obsessively documenting every leaf on a branch and every vein on a leaf. This approach led to fruit bowls like you wouldn’t believe, and a surprising level of political subtext. The exhibit is curated by head of the department of American and British paintings at the National Gallery of Art Linda S. Ferber, who in 1985 at the Brooklyn Museum mounted one of the first shows that examined the movement.
April 14-July 21 at the National Gallery of Art, West Building. FREE
ANIMALS, COLLECTED @ NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM
The National Building Museum houses some 320,000 items related to the building process, spanning a range of architectural styles that would make your ultramodern commercial development spin. Among these objects are decorative elements that originally appeared as ornaments on everything from municipal buildings to churches and warehouses. The exhibition has been “imagined as a cabinet of curiosities,” as the museum puts it, and includes “sketches of Washington National Cathedral by Heinz Warneke, sculptures from local artist Raymond Kaskey, [and] architectural drawings from Chicago’s Northwestern Terracotta Company.
April 19, 2019-Spring 2020 at the National Building Museum. Monday–Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m. $10.
ENRICO DAVID: GRADATIONS OF SLOW RELEASE @ HIRSHHORN
According to the Hirshhorn, Enrico David’s “happy place is the unknown.” With an exhibition spanning 20 years of work, the museum gives the Italian-born, London-based artist the largest survey of his work to date in the U.S. The retrospective includes work in sculpture, painting, installation and works on paper. Curators write that, “laced with humor and fantasy, his work not only reminds us of great early twentieth-century sculptors, such as Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, but also engages a more surrealist form of image-making that feels both fresh and unpredictable.“
April 16-September 2 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Register here for an artist’s talk at the museum April 15 at 7 p.m. FREE
TESTAMENT OF THE SPIRIT: PAINTINGS BY EDUARDO CARRILLO @ AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
The Katzen Art Center’s spring openings include an exhibition of work by this artist, teacher, scholar, and social activist, whose magical realist work is inspired by California and his Mexican heritage, according to American University. Intimate watercolors and large-scale murals will be on display, as well as a bilingual video portrait of the artist.
April 6-May 26 at the American University Museum at The Katzen Arts Center. Opening reception April 6, 6 p.m.-9 p.m. FREE
NOELLE K. TAN: PART II VOLUME 2 @ CIVILIAN ART PROJECTS
Combining two projects from 2013 and 2015 along with new work, photographer Tan presents black and white photos and darkroom-created collages that reflect on memory and American history. Civilian writes that “Tan’s works are historic markers, with imagery recorded and assembled by the artist, that signify the struggle for human rights and recognize justice as a constant fight.”
April 6-May 2 at Studio 1469. Opening reception Saturday, April 6, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Artist talk April 27, 2:00 p.m. Open Saturday 1 p.m.-5 p.m. and by appointment. FREE
UMBRELLA @ NO KINGS COLLECTIVE
No Kings Collective, who in 2017 designed shoes with chicken wings and mumbo sauce, has partnered with Collection 14 to present a three-day pop up that takes over a block of the 14th Street corridor. The site features nine galleries in spaces previously occupied by Martha’s Table, Martha’s Outfitters, and Smuckers Farms, featuring art and curation by Kelly Towles, Naturel, Maggie O’Neill, Monochrome Collective, Washington Project for the Arts, Mark Kelner, Fabiola R. Delgado, PAKKE, Rock Creek Social Club, District Dodger, and JAB.
April 12-14 at 2114 14th St. NW. Opening reception April 12, 5 p.m.-midnight. Open April 13, noon-midnight and April 14, noon -8 p.m. FREE
PAMELA CROCKETT: DANCE OF DECAY @ HONFLEUR
Perhaps inspired by the vivid carcasses of Chaim Soutine, Baltimore artist Pamela Crockett is “intrigued by decomposing pods, unraveling bulbs, and dried aquatic fragment,” Honfleur writes, that she examines under a magnifying glass. “Paradoxically these delicate remains of life reflect both the fragility and the vitality of the earth and its oceans.”
April 5-May 25 at Honfleur Gallery. Open Wednesday-Sunday from 12 p.m.-7 p.m. and by appointment. FREE. Opening reception April 5, 6 p.m.-9 p.m.
MICHELINE KLAGSBRUN: TRANSIT OF VENUS @ STUDIO GALLERY
Klagsbrun, who studied in Paris with Alfredo Echeverria and co-chaired the Forum for the Psychoanalytic Study of Film, presents a new body of mixed media work. She was inspired by the 1874 Transit of Venus, a once-every-243 year occurrence during which the planet Venus crosses the sun two times. The D.C.-based artist echoes the 19th century event by means of the cyanotype, a 19th century photographic printing technique with deep indigo hues.
April 3-27 at Studio Gallery. FREE. First friday reception April 5, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.; artists’ reception April 13, 4 p.m.-6 p.m.; artist & curator talk April 26, 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
