Museum Exhibitions
Now open at the
Phillips Collection is the
Laib Wax Room by German conceptual artist
Wolfgang Laib. The permanent installation is the museum’s
first since the Rothko Room was installed 53 years ago;
constructed from beeswax,
it aims to transport visitors to a more introspective,
spiritual state of mind. We
reported last week on how the museum was experimenting with
crowdfunding to help raise
donations for
it.
While the Corcoran is exploring the 1980s this month in “Pump Me Up,” the
National Archives turns its attention to the previous decade in
“Searching for the Seventies: The DOCUMERICA Photography Project.” The show reveals images from the 1970s Federal Photography project titled “DOCUMERICA,”
looking at life in inner cities, farms, and coal mining communities. March 8 through
September 9.
The
Sackler Gallery unveils the Cyrus Cylinder, a 2,500-year-old Persian clay cylinder discovered in 1879
in the ruins of Babylon in Mesopotamia.
“The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia: A New Beginning,” opening March 9, looks at the history of the object and its legacy as a symbol of
religious tolerance. Through April 28.
The
National Portrait Gallery presents 48 works selected by a jury from more than 3,000 entries in the
Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. The winner, to be announced March 22, receives $25,000 and a commission to create
a work for the museum. March 23 through February, 2014.
Seven years after the
National Gallery first hoped to present
“Albrecht Dürer: Master Drawings, Watercolors, and Prints from the Albertina,” the exhibit opens March 24 in the West Building, and is billed as the finest exhibition
by the German artist ever to go on display in the US. Through June 9.
Opening at the
National Museum of the American Indian March 29 is
“Cerámica de los Ancestros: Central America’s Past Revealed,” an exhibition examining thousands of years of Central American art and artifacts and
the insight they offer into diverse and complex civilizations. Through 2014.
Gallery Shows
The
Kennedy Center has 12 different exhibitions related to
Nordic Cool running through March 17. Don’t miss “New Nordic: Architecture and Identity,” a show
exploring Nordic approaches to design and architecture from Denmark’s Louisiana Museum
of Modern Art.
At
Artisphere, local artist Carolina Mayorga presents
“Infestation,” a multimedia work including a site-specific installation that plays on concepts of
migration and habitation. Large vinyl ants occupy different parts of the space, moving
gradually from room to room. Through March 24.
Open through April 7 at the
Athenaeum is
“Process: Photography,” a show compiling work by established and emerging local photographers such as Jim
Darling, Frank Hallam Day, Andrew Zimmermann, and more.
The
Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton displays
“Ephemeral: Interpretations of the Cherry Blossom,” an exhibition of work in different media inspired by the annual festival. Through
April 7.
The
Goethe-Institut has an exhibition of new German photography by artists such as Henning Bode and Saskia
Groneberg through April 12.
Open at
Honfleur Gallery is
“Sculpture Now 2013,” an exhibit of 27 works curated by Florcy Morisset with the Washington Sculptors Group.
Through April 12.
The
Gallery at Vivid Solutions has
“Home,” an exhibition of photographs by artist Benjamin Rasmussen on display through
April 12.
Off-Rhode Studio presents
“Glitterbomb,” an exhibition of 50 different works from a private collection showcasing all things
glitter, including fragments from the notorious glitterbombings of Michele Bachmann
and Newt Gingrich during the 2012 presidential campaign. March 9 through 29.
“Iva Gueorguieva: Reinvigorating Prints” opens March 27 at George Washington University’s
Brady Gallery, and reveals boundary-pushing monoprints and collages by the Bulgarian-born artist.
Through May 3.
Art Events
This month’s
Phillips After 5 is March 7, and has a Philippines theme in honor of artist
Alfonso Ossorio.
The
Atlas Intersections Festival continues through March 10 at the
Atlas Performing Arts Center on H Street.
The
National Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off March 20 and runs over three weeks, with a Japanese arts festival, a street
parade, a fireworks event, and more.
On March 22, the Corcoran hosts Artini, a night of cocktails inspired by works in the gallery’s collection.
