Where: Freer Gallery of Art

When: closing November 3, 2019

When one thinks of Whistler and the Freer, the first thing that comes to mind is the Peacock Room.  And rightly so; it's an amazing achievement, to make art out of a room.  And those peacocks - telling the story of Whistler's falling out with Leyland, under the watchful eye of The Princess from the Land of Porcelain.  If you can see all this when the shutters are open (the 3rd Thursday of each month, in the afternoon), do so - it's a great treat.

But, Whistler is more than the Peacock Room, and Charles Lang Freer was a great admirer of Whistler's, so we get to enjoy his many, many talents.  In fact, Freer amassed the world's largest collection of Whistler watercolors, some of which are on display in the Whistler in Watercolor exhibit on now.  These pieces never travel (due to the conditions of the deed of gift establishing the museum) and are very fragile, so they're rarely seen.  Happily, we have an opportunity to look at them for the next couple of weeks.

These watercolors came about when Whistler was seeking to reinvent himself as an artist.  He'd lost Leyland as a patron and was involved in a lawsuit with John Ruskin, so he needed to make some money. Off he went to Venice, in search of inspiration.  What he produced were many seascapes, composed of three parts: sky, sea and shore; bustling street scenes, and quiet domestic interiors.  He also began to paint nocturnes (the Sackler had a big show of these not too long ago, so they can travel across the street), those moody, atmospheric night paintings.  And we get to see the fruits of those labors in this show.

Verdict: If you like Whistler or watercolors or paintings of the night, this is a show for you.

Strike While It's Hot

Where: African Art Museum

When: closing October 20, 2019

First of all, know that this is a huge show that starts in the African Art Museum (on the lowest level) and continues into the International Gallery of the Ripley.  I went to see it on a free afternoon, and after a full hour, I was skimming at the end.

The show opens with a discussion of how iron arrived here - it comes from the core of meteorites that were destroyed in impacts in space and eventually fell to Earth.  The Smithsonian has one of the world's largest and most complete collection of meteorites, some of which are on display in the show.  Iron has become such a part of the human experience that it is what makes our blood red.

So on to the African blacksmiths.  They held a very high place in society, as they were able to use fire to transform iron into objects that were practical, beautiful and signifiers of status.  They made tools for everyday use; they made jewelry and they made objects used in important rituals.

When one thinks of iron, one thinks of strong, heavy, powerful items.  But that's not the totality of what iron can be.  A piece called "Rain Wand" was lovely and delicate - something I did not anticipate when I came to the exhibit.  As impressive as the tools and knives were, the ability to transform iron into something elegant was even more arresting.

Iron was also used to create objects to honor the dead; it became a symbol of divinity and of fidelity.  As members of the community left this existence, their loved ones celebrated their lives and remembered them after their death.  Iron was eventually so important in society, and such an indication of wealth, that it was actually used as currency.

The show ends with  examples of the lamellophone.  An instrument made of iron, it mimics the sound of the forge - which is more musical than you might expect.

Verdict: If you've got lots of time, this is an interesting examination of both art and the society that creates it.

Choose Your Own Adventure

Where: Smithsonian American Art Museum

When: closing October 14, 2019

David Levinthal photographs toy figurines.  It's as simple as that.  He photographs sports figures (like Eddie Matthews of the Milwaukee Braves, pictured here), Wild West figures, Barbie dolls and figures from American history.  He constructs tableaux with them and then photographs them, blurring the images to make them more lifelike.

Describing the show this way makes it seem silly; who want to see pictures of someone's toys?  Levinthal himself said, "There's less in my work than meets the eye."  And that's where you, the viewer, come in.  You construct the narrative around the photographs, just as children do with their own toys.

There's something both odd and appealing about this show; it's an invitation to remember the past and stories about the past and also to examine how much truth there is in those memories and stories.

Verdict: This large show is a sample of a gift of Levinthal's works that were recently donated to the museum; one hopes this is not the last display of his work we will see.

Dinosaurs Outside the new Fossil Hall

Where: Natural History Museum

When: closing September 29, 2019

True confession: I've not yet been to the new Fossil Hall at the Natural History Museum;  I go to see things that have impending closing dates, and presumably the new hall will be with us for quite some time.  Maybe that's something my niece and I could go see when she has a day off from school...

I did get to see some dinosaurs at Natural History this week though.  The exhibit that served as a "dinosaur place holder" while the new Hall was under construction is now closing, so I went to see that.  Called "The Last American Dinosaur," it's quite well done.  It provides lots of information, presented in an easy-to-understand style.  I especially liked the explanation of the difference between an actual fossil, a scientifically accurate cast, and a fake.

I also enjoyed the information about the digs that yield the fossils and the way that scientists preserve what they find and transport it back to the museum.  The Hell Creek Formation, which covers parts of Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota, is full of fossils - sort of a paleontologist's playground.  It's a lot of work to travel out there, find useful specimens, wrap them up so they don't get damaged and get everything and everyone back to DC.

The exhibit also included information on the 5th great extinction - the one that killed the dinosaurs.  An asteroid hit the earth, which set off a chain reaction of terrible events that resulted in the death of all non-avian dinosaurs.  So, every time you see a bird, you're actually seeing a dinosaur.  And mass extinctions are bad for the species that die off, obviously, but they're good for new species that can arise from the ashes.  Like mammals.

Verdict: The new fossil hall is getting all the press, but this exhibit is worth a look.  And I really wish the museum would have returned to the original name for the dinosaur display: the Hall of Extinct Monsters.

Fireworks in the Library

Where: National Gallery of Art Library, East Building

When:  closed September 6, 2019

This library show is a tribute to fireworks and festivals throughout Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries.  Although all the books are in black and white, one feels as if one can see the vibrant pyrotechnics and feel the excitement as one looks at the display.  I particularly enjoyed seeing John Bate's instructions for how to make a flying dragon.

Verdict: Hope you had a chance to see this small exhibit - more fun than the usual offering.

Architects' Greatest Crime

Where: Hirshhorn Museum

When: closing September 8, 2019

This somber display closes tomorrow, so if you want to see it, you'll need to hurry.  It's contained inside the "What Absence is Made Of" show on the 2nd floor, so you'll need to walk through some nonsense to see it, I'm afraid.  It's worth it, though, so make the effort.

It's a visual installation that presents the evidence collected to prove that Auschwitz was a mechanism for mass murder.  This was not merely a camp to hold people against their will (although that would be bad enough); this was a place designed by architects to end people's lives in as efficient a way as possible.

The entire installation is white, which I found made it hard to understand the documents that line the room.  What really made the piece real to me was the video at the end that explains the decisions the architects made to ensure as many people were killed in as short a time as possible.

Verdict: In a time when Holocaust denial is making a comeback, this is an important statement of facts.

Japanese Animal Art - It's Not Just Hello Kitty

Where: National Gallery of Art, East Building

When: closing on August 18, 2019

First of all, this is a far larger show than you can see in a lunch hour.  I suppose you could get through it if you ran from end to end, but that's not really any way to appreciate the terrific pieces.  So, I'm advising you to take an extra-long lunch hour, or go on a weekend or day off.

This is a survey of animals in Japanese art from ancient times to the present day, so we're covering a lot of ground.  This series of screens is right at the entrance to the show and sets the tone nicely.  It's colorful and fun and features lots of animals.  And that's largely what the rest of the show does.  The first room includes several ancient representations of dogs and horses, along with Kusama Yayoi (she of the polka dots, pumpkins and mirror rooms) dog sculptures.  The thing I thought about all of these works was how friendly the animals were.  They all seem to be smiling at you, and you just can't help but smile back.  I couldn't anyway, and I was feeling irritable and stressed out when I went over there, so a cheerful welcome was just what I needed.

I also learned that the Japanese have a zodiac, very similar to the Chinese one.  I'm the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, and the same is true of the Japanese version.  Large banners, one for each year were displayed on one of the walls, and the picture on my year was of the Japanese god of seas and storms, whose name happens to be Susano'o.  How appropriate is that?  The god slayed a dragon and removed a sword from its tail.  I've decided the next time I get frustrated at work, I'll remember I'm really the god of seas and storms, slayer of dragons.

There's painting; there's sculpture (some of it massive); there's kimonos - really, something for everyone.  This would be a good show to see with kids, since a lot of the art is accessible and fun.  It's long, but you wouldn't have to see everything.

Verdict: This big show has lots of great stuff and is worth making time to see.