Oh, spring; a lovely time to wander around the city and pursue the fine array of arts that Boston has to offer. From an experiment with two Da Vincis to the Cyberart Gallery, there are exhibitions for every moment this season. Here are 10 museum exhibits you definitely don’t want to miss this spring.
“Klimt and Schiele: Drawn”
During the 20th century, Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele were provocateurs of the Viennese art scene due to the strange twists they brought to their interpretations of traditional philosophy and their blunt depictions of nude bodies. In this exhibition of 60 pieces on paper, the MFA explores the conversational junctures between their work.
Through May 28, Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, $25, mfa.org
“Phantasmagoria”
Before there were horror movies, there was phantasmorgia: a type of performance where projectionists would create illusions of demons, ghouls and the ressurected dead. Taking a note from the seances held in the early 1800s, masters like Étienne-Gaspard Robertson would using lanterns and hidden light sources to scare audiences with animated “magic lanterns” on wheels, that made it seem like the figures were approaching them. See some of the items behind these spooky effects at the MFA.
Through May 28, Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, $25, mfa.org
Kevin Beasley
New York-based Kevin Beasley is best known for his sculptures. He takes clothing like hoodies, jerseys, house dresses and durags, stiffens them with resin and combines them with audio pieces that resonate and materialize through the fabric. His mixes are haunting, splicing together lines from hip-hop lyricists, and soundbites of everyday life in the city. The ICA will feature some of Beasley’s works from the past few years.
May 9 – Aug. 26, Institute of Contemporary Art, 25 Harbor Shore Dr., Boston, $15, icaboston.org
Caitlin Keogh: “Blank Melody”
Female silhouettes are severed, made into aesthetics markers and treated with the matte flatness of a vintage advertisement in the paintings of Caitlin Keogh. Drawing from the lookbooks of Christian Dior and Rene Magritte, Keogh’s exhibition showcases new work as she continues to question constructs of femininity.
May 9 – Aug. 26, Institute of Contemporary Art, 25 Harbor Shore Dr., Boston, $15, icaboston.org
“Pitch”
Allison Janae Hamilton grew up in the swamps of the south, and in her artwork you can see how the region’s scents and ink-black landscapes have lingered in her dreams. It’s the fictional world where her mind wanders. Hamilton takes inspiration from folklore and African-American nature-writing to assert the interconnectedness of human legacy and nature, depicting in her pieces an environment in danger.
March 25, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, 1040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, $20, massmoca.org
“A yellow sun A green sun a yellow sun A red sun a blue sun”
Poetry from one of the best known Arab-American writers, 93-year-old Etel Adnan, will sit alongside her paintings. The exhibit title comes from her book “The Arab Apocalypse,” published in 1980 during the Lebanese Civil War. Her work delves into the many types of languages that exist – spoken, drawn, scribbled – in pursuit of finding the most satisfying way to convey her thoughts.
April 7, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, 1040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, $20, massmoca.org
“The Mystery of Worcester’s Leonardo”
The Worcester Art Museum has owned the “Miracle of San Donato” since 1940, and has since suggested much evidence that the panel painting is, in fact, a work of Leonardo Da Vinci. The proof has been enough for some; others have expressed doubts. Bringing in Leonardo’s “Annunciation” from the Musée du Louvre and placing it side by side will help to shed more light on the issue, as the Museum invites visitors to come and join the scrutinizing.
Through June 3, Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester, $16, worchesterart.org
“Analog Culture”
When Gary Schneider and his partner John Erdman ran their photography printing lab in Manhattan, their store became a reliable site for well-known artists like Richard Avedon and Nan Goldin. This collection of 443 proofs reveal the elaborate mechanisms behind darkroom processing and commemorate a nostalgia for old-school analog printing.
May 19 – Aug 12, Harvard Art Museum, 32 Quincy St., Cambridge, $15, harvardartmuseums.org
Jennifer Packer: “Tenderheaded”
The Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University is known for its extensive display of ‘60s and ‘70s American works. Pairing vibrant funeral flowers alongside portraits of African Americans, “Tenderheaded” is a reckoning with black death in American culture. Through this series, artist Jennifer Packer expresses her desire to dedicate elaborate bouquets to those who have passed.
Through July 8, Rose Art Museum, 415 South St., Waltham, free, brandeis.edu/rose
Boston Cyberarts Gallery Juried Exhibition
The Boston Cyberarts Gallery, a nonprofit organization for experimental media, will open a juried exhibition in May of what promises to be a curation of tech-inspired artwork. In the past, they’ve displayed augmented-reality simulations, holograms, “slime molds” with earthworm populations, and interactive sound sculptures — all housed in a space inside the Green Street T stop.
May 25 – July 1, Boston Cyberarts Gallery, 141 Green St., Jamaica Plain, free, bostoncyberarts.org
