VISUAL ARTS
LUIS MELÉNDEZ: MASTER OF THE SPANISH STILL LIFE A stunning show of still life paintings by the under-recognized 18th-century master that is as delectable as the comestibles he depicted. Through May 9. Museum of Fine Arts. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org
VARIETIES OF ROMANTIC EXPERIENCE: DRAWINGS FROM THE COLLECTION OF CHARLES RYSKAMP Drawings by Northern European artists of the 19th century from one of the best collections around. Includes work by Britain’s Turner, Blake, and Fuseli and, from the Continent, Delacroix, Degas, Friedrich, and Corot. Through April 25. Yale Center for British Art, New Haven. 203-432-2800, www.ycba.yale.edu
THE SHAPE OF ABSTRACTION A look at abstract art in historical and contemporary forms, featuring 24 artists, from Josef Albers and Ellsworth Kelly to Thomas Nozkowski. Through March 28. Boston University Art Gallery. 617-353-3329, www.bu.edu/art
VIRTUOSO ILLUSION: CROSS-DRESSING AND THE NEW MEDIA AVANT-GARDE An exploration of drag in the work of contemporary artists such as Ryan Trecartin, Kalup Linzy, and Matthew Barney, and the not-so-contemporary Marcel Duchamp. Curated by Michael Rush, former director of the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University. Through April 4. MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge. 617-253-4680, listart.mit.edu
ASIAN JOURNEYS: COLLECTING ART IN POST-WAR AMERICA An exhibition of more than 50 objects from China, Japan, and Southeast Asia collected by the Rockefeller family and later donated to the Asia Society in New York. Through June 6. McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College. 617-552-8100, www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/artmuseum
ARTIST + POET: GEORGE NAMA & CHARLES SIMIC A selection of Nama’s recent etchings, gouaches, and sculptures inspired by the poetry of his friend, the poet Charles Simic. Feb. 10-April 10.
GIOVANNI BOLDINI IN IMPRESSIONIST PARIS A look at the first half of this amazingly gifted and versatile artist’s career, before he became known almost exclusively as a society portraitist. Feb. 14-April 25. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown. 413-458-2303, www.clarkart.edu
PAT STEIR: DRAWING OUT OF LINE A 40-year survey of the career of this highly regarded New York-based artist, focusing on her innovations in drawing. Feb. 19-July 3. Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art, Providence. 401-454-6500, www.risdmuseum.org
RONI HORN AKA RONI HORN A career survey of this influential contemporary artist from New York, whose subject is the mutability of identity. Organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art. Feb. 19-June 13. Institute of Contemporary Art. 617-478-3100, www.icaboston.org
SEEING GOD IN PRINTS: INDIAN LITHOGRAPHS FROM THE COLLECTION OF MARK BARON AND ELISE BOISANTÉ The first US survey of devotional lithographs depicting Hindu gods that were originally printed in Europe and later made in India, where they became ubiquitous. Feb. 24-June 6. Davis Museum and Cultural Center, Wellesley College, Wellesley. 781-283-2051, www.davismuseum.wellesley.edu SEBASTIAN SMEE
