Drawn to Life: Master Drawings from the Age of Rembrandt in the Peck Collection
Opens Friday, Sep. 23 | Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill
This exhibition of sketches and drawings from the 17th century is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see early work from the Dutch masters, including Rembrandt and his students. After a four-month exhibition in Chapel Hill, the drawings will be on their way back to Europe, where exhibits include the cost of a $1,000 airline ticket. It’s not often that North Carolina museums get to display exceptional Dutch art, but this is one of those times.
A Modern Vision: European Masterworks from the Phillips Collection
Opens Saturday, Oct. 8 | North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh
North Carolinians have a second chance to see art from European masters this fall when paintings from the world-renowned Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, travel to Raleigh. More than 50 paintings from Degas, van Gogh, Manet, Monet, Picasso, and Cézanne will be on display at the NC Museum of Art. This is an exhibit for those curious about one of the most iconic times in art history—the age of impressionism—as well as what followed.
James Cameron: Challenging the Deep
Opens Saturday, Oct. 15 | North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh
Ever wonder what inspired the otherworldly scenes in Avatar? Step into filmmaker James Cameron’s shoes with this exhibit tracing his exploration of the deep blue sea. This eight-month exhibit lets visitors step onto the ocean floor with cinema-scale projections, artifacts, and specimens from Cameron’s expeditions. Visitors will also see original props and costumes from Titanic and learn about underwater recording technologies pioneered by Cameron that are used in the upcoming Avatar sequel.
Reimagining the People’s Collection | Opens Friday, Nov. 4 | North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh
After 10 years, the NC Museum of Art has finished reorganizing its biggest collection, shared across its old and new buildings. Remember those field trips to the art museum in fifth grade? Here’s your chance to see the museum through fresh eyes, with all-new exhibits, loans from overseas, and freshly commissioned artwork.
Across the Threshold of India: Photographs by Martha Strawn
Through Saturday, Nov. 12 | Gregg Museum of Art and Design, Raleigh
This photography exhibit documents a little-known cultural practice, the art of “threshold drawings,” also known as kolam or rangoli. Martha Strawn documents beautiful, intricate, and temporary works of art from India that are created by sprinkling colored rice flour on the ground, often during traditional Indian festivities. Techniques for these drawings are passed down through generations, from mother to daughter. Two other notable exhibitions are on view through this fall at the Gregg: Eric Serritella’s Trompe l’Oeil Ceramics (through Dec. 3) and Egyptian Tent (through Dec. 23).
Roy Lichtenstein: History in the Making, 1948–1960
Through Jan. 8, 2023 | Nasher Museum of Art, Durham
Most people know American artist Roy Lichtenstein for his distinctive, comics-inspired pop art, which elevated him to fame in the 1960s alongside Andy Warhol. This exhibit, however (reviewed by Brian Howe in a recent INDY Week issue), explores Lichtenstein’s early work, a complex combination of abstract, modernist, and historical paintings, drawings, and prints. See how Lichtenstein was inspired by fairy tales, caricature, and folk art, and how his work evolved into what we know today.
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