Critics' picks - visual arts

Eyes of an icon

Brand names tend to have brand faces. And when the brand name has a brand face that's been photographed by Irving Penn, the result can become something like a trademark. Penn's photos of such figures as Pablo Picasso, Truman Capote (right) , and George Balanchine - among the most famous photographic portraits of the 20th century - are on view in "Close Encounters: Irving Penn Portraits of Artists and Writers," a superb exhibit at New York's Morgan Library, through April 13. 212-685-0008, themorgan.org

- Mark Feeney

Dreamscapes

In "Dream On," Barbara Moody's shimmering abstract canvases ("Ecosystem II," left) sport layers of luxuriant color and floating biomorphic forms, each like a blown-up microscopic view of pond water shot with sunlight. At the Schlosberg Gallery, Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, through Thursday. 978-921-4242, ext. 3. Montserrat.edu/galleries

- Cate McQuaid

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