The best museum exhibits in the U.S. this winter
The post-holiday chill can make your get-healthy New Year’s resolution more daunting. If you consider walking through a museum a good form of exercise though, you’ll kill two birds with one stone by visiting these travel-worthy exhibits across the country.
Degas: A Passion for Perfection at the Denver Art Museum
Feb. 11 - May 20, 2018
In its only U.S. appearance, Degas: A Passion for Perfection brings French artist Edgar Degas’ works from 1855 to 1906 to Denver. The exhibit includes more than 100 pieces, including paintings, drawings, pastels, etchings, monotypes and sculptures, covering his artistic interests in dancers, nudes and horses. Work by French artists Eugène Delacroix and Paul Cézanne are also included in the exhibition.
Adios Utopia: Dreams and Deceptions in Cuban Art Since 1950 at Walker Art Center in Minneapolis
Through March 18
In what’s being billed as the most significant exhibition of Cuban art in the U.S. in over 70 years, the Walker Art Center has compiled work from more than 50 artists and designers who lived and trained in Cuba through its tumultuous history since the revolution. The 100-plus works include paintings, graphic design, photography, videos, installations and performances that address the revolution’s impact on art, speech, industry and exile.
Legends of Rock & Roll: The Beatles at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland
Permanent
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Beatles exhibit has been upgraded as part of the museum’s multi-year, multi-million dollar transformation with the goal of making it more visually bold. One highlight is the never-before-displayed piano that was used by John Lennon and Paul McCartney while writing some of their biggest hits, including I Want to Hold Your Hand and Eleanor Rigby. Other Fab Four artifacts include drumsticks used by Ringo Starr in a 1964 Cleveland concert and George Harrison’s suit from a 1966 tour.
With a Loving Eye at the Harbor History Museum in Gig Harbor, Wash.
Nov. 18, 2017 - April 29, 2018
Known for her photographs of Pacific Northwest punk garage bands, Jini Dellaccio’s candid portraits have been used on numerous album covers. She often photographed her subjects in and around her Gig Harbor property, where this exhibit takes place. Dellaccio, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 97, photographed acts including the Sonics, the Wailers, the Who and Neil Young.
Elvis Presley’s Memphis at Graceland in Memphis
Permanent
More than an exhibit, Graceland has opened a new, $45 million entertainment complex — the largest expansion to the campus since its 1982 opening. An automobile museum features Elvis’s pink Cadillac, Ferrari Dino and Mercedes Benz limo. The museum dedicated to his career covers the King’s music, movies, and touring life with hundreds of artifacts, including jumpsuits and gold records, throughout 20,000 square feet.
Horizons: People & Place in New Mexican Art at the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe
Through Nov. 25, 2018
A year-long exhibit marks the 100th birthday of the New Mexico Museum of Art with paintings, drawings, prints and furniture pulled from its extensive collection. Featured artists include many who have contributed to the state’s artistic identity, including Robert Henri, Marsden Hartley, John Sloan and Georgia O’Keeffe.
Glamour on Board: Fashion from Titanic the Movie at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C.
Feb. 9 - May 13, 2018
Legend has it that the Vanderbilts planned to sail on the Titanic’s maiden voyage, but changed their plans at the last minute. Now, their namesake home, the Biltmore, will display costumes from the Oscar-winning film Titanic in a large-scale exhibit. It will feature hats, gowns, jewelry and tuxedos worn by Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kathy Bates and others from the movie. The grand home is the only place to see the costumes.
Alexis Rockman: The Great Lakes Cycle at the Grand Rapids Art Museum in Michigan
Jan. 27 - April 29, 2018
In its premiere before going on tour, the Grand Rapids Art Museum exhibit takes an artistic look at the Great Lakes through the work of Alexis Rockman. His futuristic, large-scale oil paintings and watercolors represent his experiences traveling, researching and interviewing people throughout the region. The exhibit aims to highlight visible and invisible threats currently shaping the Great Lakes ecosystem.
The Artist Sees Differently: Modern Still Lifes from the Phillips Collection at the Princeton University Art Museum in New Jersey
Jan. 27 - April 29, 2018
Rarely seen works of art by Paul Cézanne, Georges Braque, Juan Gris, Pablo Picasso, Georgia O’Keeffe and Milton Avery will be shown in Princeton, thanks to the collection of Duncan Phillips and artist Marjorie Acker Phillips. The exhibit includes 38 paintings by the modern art masters in an effort to showcase their efforts to break away from traditional styles in favor of still lifes and humble subjects in the rapidly-changing world of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Warhol: Flowers in the Factory at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Fla.
Feb. 11 - June 30, 2018
A botanical garden in Sarasota will explore a less-examined aspect of Andy Warhol’s art: nature. In fact, the pop artist created over 10,000 images of flowers throughout his career. On display: two poinsettias prints and four mixed-media flower silkscreens that represent hibiscuses, which grow throughout the 15-acre gardens. Selby horticulturists have created plant and flower displays to complement Warhol’s work. This is the only venue for this exhibit.
Louis Comfort Tiffany: Treasures from the Driehaus Collection at the Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati
Feb. 17 - May 27, 2018
Cincinnati has the honor of showing a collection of 60 Louis Comfort Tiffany masterworks that have never been seen outside of Chicago before it goes on nationwide tour through 2021. The vases, lamps, windows, furniture and ornamental works span 30 years of Tiffany’s career. The Richard H. Driehaus Museum created the exhibition from its 1,500 items, collected by founder philanthropist Richard Driehaus. “Beyond exploring Tiffany’s vast legacy as an artist and designer, this exhibition may be experienced as a lively introduction to and celebration of American decorative arts,” said Lynne D. Ambrosini, Deputy Director, Curatorial Affairs, and Chief Curator at the Taft Museum of Art.