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DUNCAN HANNAH : CAUTIONARY TALES Hannah's realist paintings delve into the solitude and orbiting aspirations of adolescence. They've been called an ''Edwardian daydream'' in which boys grow up to be heroes and girls grow up to be society darlings. Through Dec. 14. Pierre Menard Gallery, 10 Arrow St., Cambridge. 617-868-2033, www.pierremenardgallery.com |
Critics' picks - arts
November 27, 2008
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THEATER
MARY'S WEDDING
AURELIA'S ORATORIO Aurelia Thierree, who grew up performing in her parents' "Cirque Imaginaire," brings her own dream of the circus, created with her mother, to the American Repertory Theatre. Nov. 28-Jan. 3. Loeb Drama Center, Cambridge. 617-547-8300, www.amrep.org
HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS Or, to give the expansive extravaganza its full title: "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical." Two sizes too small, indeed. Nov. 26-Dec. 28. Citi Wang Theatre. 800-447-7400, www.citicenter.org
LOUISE KENNEDY
DANCE
THE NUTCRACKER The quickest way to kick-start the holiday season is two hours in the company of Boston Ballet's Sugar Plum Fairy, waltzing flowers, battling mice, and Christmas tree, which soars up to the rafters right before our eyes. Bring your inner child. Nov. 28-Dec. 28. $30-$150. The Opera House. 617-931-2787, www.ticketmaster.com
NEWPORT NUTCRACKER AT ROSECLIFF Island Moving Company stages its unusual version of "The Nutcracker" in Newport's romantic mansion, Rosecliff. The ballet starts in the Grand Salon, then moves from room to room, following the adventures of young Clara (renamed Tess in honor of Rosecliff's first owner). Nov. 28-Dec. 5. $25-$125. Rosecliff, 548 Bellevue Ave., Newport, RI. 401-621-6123, www.arttixri.com
WRITTEN ON THE BODY Michael Dowling's "Medicine Wheel," a sculptural installation/vigil in honor of World AIDS Day, features performances that are like meditative artistic offerings, including DeAnna Pellecchia and Ingrid Schatz's new "Written on the Body," a site-specific piece for themselves and eight South Boston teens. Dance performances Nov. 30-Dec. 1. Free. Boston Center for the Arts' Cyclorama. 617.268-6700, www.medicinewheelproductions.org
KAREN CAMPBELL
MUSEUMS
FAITH RINGGOLD: STORY QUILTS Five narrative story quilts and related works on paper, as well as a jaunty sculpture made from fabric, show off the open-hearted but slyly witty side of this renowned African-American artist. The show complements a display of original illustrations from "Aunt Harriet's Underground Railway in the Sky" in an upstairs space dedicated to children, two superb series of prints by Jacob Lawrence (through Jan. 4), and a room dedicated to sculpture from the studio of Meta Warwick Fuller (through May 17), an African-American sculptor who studied with Rodin. Through March 1. Danforth Museum of Art, Framingham. 508-620-0050, www.danforthmuseum.org
INVISIBLE RAYS: THE SURREALISM LEGACY Fans of Surrealism can see work by Salvador Dalí, Giorgio de Chirico, Max Ernst, René Magritte, Joan Miró, and Yves Tanguy, among others, in this fun and boldly conceived show. Following the lead of Marcel Duchamp, who designed the International Surrealism Exhibition in Paris in 1938, Rose Art Museum director Michael Rush has turned down the lights and offered flashlights to visitors. Through Dec. 14. Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham. 781-736-3434, www.brandeis.edu/rose
TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH, PAINTING THE POLAR LANDSCAPE A survey of painting made during the golden age of polar exploration - the late 18th century through the early 20th - this show includes some of the most mysterious and haunting paintings ever made, by artists such as Frederic Edwin Church, William Bradford, and David Abbey Paige. Through March 1. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem. 978-745-9500, www.pem.org
THE TRIUMPH OF MARRIAGE: PAINTED CASSONI OF THE RENAISSANCE A splendid show of cassoni - narrative paintings for wedding chests - from the Renaissance in 15th-century Tuscany. Their subjects are sometimes arcane but always fascinating allegories from classical history, myth, and sometimes contemporary events. Through Jan. 18. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. 617-566-1401, www.gardnermuseum.org
SEBASTIAN SMEE
GALLERIES
ICONS + ALTARS The New Art Center's 15th annual holiday benefit exhibit features icons and altars crafted by a host of regional artists. The show closes for a Thanksgiving break, but reopens Sunday, seven days a week. Through Dec. 14. New Art Center, 61 Washington Park, Newtonville. 617-964-3424, www.newartcenter.org
HERB RITTS AND HORST P. HORST Whether fashion photography is fine art or sheer commerce is subject to debate. We know this: These two fashion photographers fetishize gorgeous flesh, beautifully clothed - and sometimes not clothed at all. Through Dec. 19. Robert Klein Gallery, 38 Newbury St. 617-267-7997, www.robertkleingallery.com
ELECTROMAGNIFIC Tired of images moving with mind-addling speed? In this group show, curator Carolina Duque proposes to reduce the visual clutter of contemporary American culture by reexamining the world through the lens of painting. Through Dec. 5. GASP, 362 Boylston St., Brookline. 617-418-4308, www.g-a-s-p.net
CATE McQUAID
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