Exhibits and Programs at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC
Opening Exhibition
The Life of Animals in Japanese Art
June 2–August 18, 2019
East Building Concourse
From foxes and frogs to dragons and phoenixes, this exhibition takes an expansive look at the representation of animals across 17 centuries of Japanese art. Of the over 300 objects on view, more than half are traveling from Japan and many are masterpieces that rarely—if ever—leave the country. On June 2, Robert T. Singer, curator and head, department of Japanese art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, will give an introductory lecture followed by a signing of the exhibition catalog.
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Now on View
Drawing in Tintoretto’s Venice
Through June 9, 2019
West Building, Ground Floor
In the first exhibition in 40 years to focus specifically on Tintoretto’s work as a draftsman, approximately 80 works offer new ideas about his source of inspiration, artistic evolution, and influence.
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Venetian Prints in the Time of Tintoretto
Through June 9, 2019
West Building, Ground Floor
Drawn principally from the Gallery’s permanent collection, this exhibition of some 30 prints from the second half of the 16th century reveals a critical influence on Tintoretto’s artistic formation and parallel developments towards a distinctly Venetian mannerism.
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Tintoretto: Artist of Renaissance Venice
Through July 7, 2019
West Building, Main Floor
The first retrospective of the artist in North America features some 45 paintings and a selection of related works on paper that span Tintoretto’s entire career and range from religions and mythological scenes to regal portraits of Venetian aristocracy. On March 24, exhibition co-curators Frederick Ilchman of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and independent scholar Robert Echols give an introductory lecture, followed by a screening of the exhibition film and signing of the exhibition catalog. This is one of three exhibitions held in celebration of the 500th anniversary of Tintoretto’s birth.
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The American Pre-Raphaelites: Radical Realists
Through July 21, 2019
West Building, Ground Floor
Celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of John Ruskin, the Gallery presents some 80 works—including many never exhibited publicly before—by American artists profoundly inspired by Ruskin’s call for artistic change. On April 14, exhibition curator Linda S. Ferber, museum director emerita and senior art historian, New-York Historical Society, and Barbara Dayer Gallati, curator emerita of American art, Brooklyn Museum, give an introductory lecture, followed by a signing of the exhibition catalog.
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Oliver Lee Jackson: Recent Paintings
Through September 15, 2019
East Building, Mezzanine
Some 20 paintings created over the past 15 years—many shown publicly for the first time—weave together influences ranging from the Renaissance to modernism.
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Spaces: Works from the Collection, 1966–1976
Ongoing
East Building, Mezzanine
Inspired by presentations of single-room artworks at the Dwan Gallery (1959–1971) and the exhibition Spaces (1969–1970) at the Museum of Modern Art, this installation features five significant minimal and post-minimal sculptures; several of these works have been donated to the Gallery by Virginia Dwan or given in her honor.
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Programs
LECTURE AND BOOK SIGNING
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom
June 2, 12:00
East Building Auditorium
David W. Blight, Class of 1954 Professor of American History and director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition, Yale University, discusses his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom. A book signing follows. Held in conjunction with the exhibition In the Library: Frederick Douglass Family Materials from the Walter O. Evans Collection, which will be open for this special Sunday event.
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PUBLIC SYMPOSIUM
The Roles and Representations of Animals in Japanese Art and Culture
June 7, 10:30–5:00
East Building Auditorium
Illustrated lectures by noted scholars, including Barbara R. Ambros, Rory A. W. Browne, R. Keller Kimbrough, Federico Marcon, Daniel McKee, Miwako Tezuka, and Sarah E. Thompson. Moderated by Robert T. Singer, curator and head, department of Japanese art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Held in conjunction with The Life of Animals in Japanese Art, the program will be streamed live at nga.gov/live.
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FILM PROGRAM
Tokyo Waka
June 13, 14, 27, and 28, 1:00; June 29, 3:00
East Building Auditorium
A poetic city symphony, Tokyo Waka brings the Japanese capital to life through a focus on the city’s enormous crow population and its relationship with the humans who also happen to live there. Shown in conjunction with the exhibition The Life of Animals in Japanese Art.
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COMMUNITY WEEKEND
Celebrating The Life of Animals in Japanese Art
June 22, 5:00–8:00; June 23, 11:00–5:00
East Building
Explore Japanese culture and animals in Japanese art with activities for all ages. On Saturday, the Gallery will stay open late for a special evening program with sake tasting, sketching, kimono demonstrations, and a live scoring of Japanese short films. On Sunday, the East Building comes alive with origami lessons, taiko drumming, and more. Made possible by a generous grant from The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.
Image: Strike a pose at the Gallery’s themed photo booth during the community weekend.
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LECTURE AND BOOK SIGNING
Augusta Savage: A Woman of Her Word
June 23, 2:00
East Building Auditorium
Jeffreen M. Hayes, executive director, Threewalls, discusses the life, work, and lasting legacy of Augusta Savage as an artist and a community builder during the Harlem Renaissance. A signing of Augusta Savage: Renaissance Woman follows. This program was proposed and made possible by Darryl Atwell.
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CONCERT
Air Force Strings
June 23, 3:30
West Building, West Garden Court
In a program entitled The Latin American Spirit, the Air Force Strings sheds a new light on the influence of music from Central and South America within the context of what we call “classical music” with works by Carlos Fariñas, Astor Piazzolla, and William Grant Still. This series is made possible by the generous support of the Billy Rose Foundation.
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NEW ONLINE
Black Dreams at Sea: The Sardine Fisherman’s Funeral and An Opera of the World
In this March 23, 2019 film screening and conversation, Malian filmmaker Manthia Diawara and Elizabeth Alexander, poet, essayist, scholar, and president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, discuss and contrast Diawara’s film An Opera of the World to Eritrean artist Ficre Ghebreyesus’s painting The Sardine Fisherman’s Funeral.
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SHOPS
Father’s Day Gifts
Celebrate the father figures in your life with a highly curated and multifaceted selection of art-inspired barware, accessories, home décor, books, prints, and more. The Gallery’s unique selection ranges from high-tech gadgets to traditional sculptures.
Shop…
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Sculpture Garden
Jazz in the Garden
Friday evenings, through August 23, 5:00–8:30
Sculpture Garden
The 19th season of Jazz in the Garden begins on May 17. The free concert series features jazz artists performing in a wide variety of styles—blues fusion, Brazilian, Latin, rhythm and blues, funk and hip-hop, and more—every Friday evening through August 23 from 5:00 to 8:30 in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden.
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For more information on this museum, visit our National Gallery of Art page.
Program and Exhibit information provided by the National Gallery of Art.
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