Take advantage of the cultural hub that D.C. is by checking out the summer’s most interesting exhibits.
Seasonal Landscapes in Japanese Screens
Freer Gallery of Art
1050 Independence Ave. SW
On display through Sept. 7
Incorporating Chinese ink-painting techniques, these 16th- and 17th-century screens have a unique style while sustaining the traditional Japanese usage of vibrant colors, particularly gold. The Japanese landscapes and the cherry trees may remind D.C. visitors of very similar scenes in the District.
In Light of the Past: Twenty-Five Years of Photography at the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art — West Building
Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW
On display through July 26
The National Gallery of Art will display approximately 175 pieces of photography acquired in the past 25 years, giving viewers a sense of 1920s and 1930s international modernism as well as the more experimental American style of the 1960s and 1970s. The exhibition will not only showcase the impressive works of American photography, but it will also present the medium’s historical development.
Peter Paul Rubens: The Three Magi Reunited
National Gallery of Art — West Building
Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW
On display through July 5
Around 1618, the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens painted portraits of each of the three biblical Magi for his friend Balthasar. Each of the oil works are owned by different organizations, and in this exhibit, the National Gallery’s painting, probably of Melchior, is joined by the Museum Plantin-Moretus’, probably of Balthasar, and the Museo de Arte de Ponce’s, probably of Gaspar. Now, for the first time in over 130 years, these three wise men are reunited in one exhibit.
The Divine Comedy: Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell Revisited by Contemporary African Artists
National Museum of African Art
950 Independence Ave. SW
On display through Aug. 2
Rooted in the continued influence of Dante Alighieri’s 14th-century “Divine Comedy,” this exhibit shows 40 talented artists. Representing 19 African nations and the diaspora, these artists, including the acclaimed Kader Attia, Wangechi Mutu and Yinka Shonibare, explore themes of the afterlife through multiple mediums. In fact, this will be the first exhibit in the National Museum of African Art to use the museum’s stairwells as well as both galleries on the first and third floor.
The Artistic Journey of Yasuo Kuniyoshi
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Eighth and F Street NW
On display through Aug. 30
Yasuo Kuniyoshi was a prominent 20th-century modernist painter who developed a distinctive style by taking inspiration from Japanese iconography, European modernism and American folk art. As a teen, Kuniyoshi immigrated to the U.S.; in the 1920s, he rose to success in New York City. Despite becoming one of America’s most beloved artists between the two world wars, he was unable to become a citizen of the country he came to call his own and was labeled an “enemy alien” after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This exhibit will give a holistic look into this unique artist’s life and work.
Watch This! Revelations in Media Art
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Eighth and F Street NW
On display through Sept. 7
Throughout the 20th century, and particularly since the 1980s, technological innovations have grown at an extremely rapid pace. Brave artists have adapted their styles just as quickly by incorporating these technological advances into their work. This exhibition will track the relationship between these advancements and art by displaying 44 pieces ranging from 1941 to 2013.