Six Must-See Spring Art Exhibitions in and Around Boston
Where to go and what to see for your spring design fix.
Photo courtesy of Dora García (Amor Rojo/Red Love, [Video Still], 2020)
“Love With Obstacles”
Open through mid-May, this novel Rose Art Museum exhibition pairs seldom-seen documents from the Brandeis archives with pieces by Spanish artist Dora García, who marks her first solo exhibition in the States. The show, which explores topics and figures related to modern feminist movements, features two newly commissioned works alongside films, drawings, and letters—each brought to life through performances and readings.
2/14–5/17, 415 South St., Waltham, 781-736-3434, brandeis.edu.
“List Projects 21: Rami George”
In 1993, Rami George’s mother took her children from their Somerville home to join a New Age cult called the Samaritan Foundation. At the MIT List Visual Arts Center, the artist reflects on their experience and shares research on the mysterious organization via two video essays, complete with news clips and voice-over narration.
3/19–5/17, 20 Ames St., Cambridge, 617-253-4680, listart.mit.edu.
Photo courtesy of Bob Packert (Tina Leser, Dress [Detail], 1950s, © 2019 Peabody Essex Museum)
“Made It: The Women Who Revolutionized Fashion”
Fancy yourself a fashionista? Continue your sartorial education with this new Peabody Essex Museum exhibition, on view until September. Encompassing more than two centuries of must-see garb, the show offers a swoon-worthy collection of pieces from trailblazing female designers including Coco Chanel.
5/16–9/7, 161 Essex St., Salem, 978-745-9500, pem.org.
“Mallory Lake Unseen Pastels, Encaustics, and Monoprints”
Vermonter Mallory Lake often turned to landscapes for the inspiration behind her moody canvases, later shifting her focus to architecture and interiors. The late painter’s layered scenes, some crafted with handmade Sennelier pastels, grace the walls of William Baczek Fine Arts this spring.
3/18–4/25, 36 Main St., Northampton, 413-587-9880, wbfinearts.com.
“Natural Attraction”
Celebrate the beauty of Earth with a stroll through Brickbottom Gallery, which plays host to a nature-themed exhibition this March. Curated by Somerville-based artist Phyllis Ewen, the hyper-local show spotlights work by area creators including printmaker Nancy Berlin and painter Prilla Smith Brackett.
3/5–4/4, One Fitchburg St., Somerville, 617-776-3410, brickbottom.org.
Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts (Jean-Michel Basquiat, Hollywood Africans, 1983. Acrylic and oil paintstick on canvas. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Gift of Douglas S. Cramer. © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artesar, New York)
“Writing the Future: Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation”
Throughout the 1980s, graffiti guru Jean-Michel Basquiat was at the forefront of a new creative movement, channeling his street-art roots into neo-expressionist paintings, drawings, sculptures, and more. Explore the New Yorker’s game-changing portfolio—and his connection to the rise of hip-hop culture—at the MFA, where pieces by his contemporaries such as Keith Haring, Kool Koor, and Futura will also be on display.
4/5–8/2, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, 617-267-9300, mfa.org.
