The National Museum of the Marine Corps, which opened last month, is adjacent to the Corps' base in Quantico, Va., 35 miles south of Washington . Interactive displays and some 1,000 historical artifacts are housed in a 118,000-square-foot building whose soaring pyramidal design (by Fentress-Bradburn Architects , of Denver) is meant to evoke the sweeping outlines of the flag-raising on Iwo Jima. In addition to tracing the Corps' history, the museum gives visitors a sense of the experience of being a Marine through such participatory features as a flight simulator and rifle range.
18900 Jefferson Davis Highway. 800-397-7585. usmcmuseum.org.
Although a star, James Dean was no astronomer. Yet he's responsible for making Griffith Observatory the most recognizable such facility in the world. The observatory appears in Dean's most famous movie, "Rebel Without a Cause. " Thanks to its classic Art Deco exterior and Mount Hollywood location, it has appeared in numerous movies, including "The Terminator " and "Jurassic Park. " The much-loved landmark, which includes a planetarium and features many space- and science-related exhibitions, reopened last month after a four-year, $93 million renovation.
2800 East Observatory Road. 213-473-0800. griffithobs.org.
HUMLEBAEK , Denmark Through Feb. 25
Moving pictures are often most memorable when not in motion. Drawing on the 2.3 million film stills in the collection of the Danish Film Institute, located in nearby Copenhagen, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art has mounted an exhibition comprising more than 700 stills. They cover the length and breadth of movie history, ranging from silent films to contemporary cinema, from "The Gold Rush" to "Paris, Texas," "Pelle the Conqueror" to "Kill Bill. "
Strandvej 13. 011-45-4919-0719. louisiana.dk.
Any gathering of works by the 17th-century Spanish master Diego Velázquez is an art-world event. But when the exhibition includes half the surviving canvases by this most gifted of painters, the event becomes a landmark. This is the first Velázquez retrospective to be held in Britain. Works on display include such masterpieces as the "Rokeby Venus, " "The Water - Seller of Seville, " "Pope Innocent X, " and on loan from the Museum of Fine Arts, "Infante Baltasar Carlos with a Dwarf. "
Trafalgar Square. 011-44-20-7747-2885. nationalgallery.org.uk.
On Dec. 10, the main building of the Yale University Art Gallery will reopen after a three-year renovation. The building, which opened in 1953, was the first major design by Louis Kahn, one of the 20th century's most acclaimed architects . (Across Chapel Street is Kahn's last design, the Yale Center for British Art.) To mark the reopening, the gallery's permanent collection has been reinstalled and highlights from new acquisitions added to the museum's holdings during the past three years will be on display.
Chapel and High streets. 203-432-0600. artgallery.yale.edu.
Events sometimes are canceled, rescheduled, or sold out; call or check online to confirm them. Contact Mark Feeney at mfeeney@globe.com. 
