'1973: Sorry, Out of Gas'
Canadian Centre for Architecture
MONTREAL
Through April 20
With energy prices at record levels, the oil crisis of 1973 doesn't seem so distant in time. This exhibition, the first of its kind, examines the architectural consequences of the economic, social, and political upheaval caused by skyrocketing fuel prices in the first "oil shock." Included are more than 350 items: architectural drawings, books and pamphlets, archival television footage, and various other artifacts.
1920 rue Baile, 514-939-7026, cca.qc.ca.
'From The New Yorker to Shrek: The Art of William Steig'
Jewish Museum
NEW YORK
Through March 16
Over the course of 73 years, the artist William Steig published more than 1,600 drawings in The New Yorker. Another 120 of his works appeared on the magazine's cover. He may be even better known for his latter-day second career as a children's book author. Steig titles include "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble," "Doctor De Soto," "Pete's a Pizza," "Spinky Sulks," and, of course, "Shrek!," the basis of the popular series of animated films. This exhibition offers a comprehensive overview of Steig's career.
1109 Fifth Avenue, 212-432-3200, thejewish museum.org.
'Courbet'
Galeries nationales du Grand Palais
PARIS
Through Jan. 28
The paintings of Gustave Courbet (1819-77) bridge the transition from Romanticism to Modernism. Some 120 of those paintings, along with 30 prints and 60 photographs, make up this comprehensive retrospective of his work. Courbet also asserted a new prominence for the artist's role in society and worthiness of the everyday as painterly subject matter. Among canvases included are such masterpieces as "The Artist's Studio," the still-controversial nude "The Origin of the World," and "Troute From the Loue River." For those unable to make it to Paris, a version of the show will be at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art later this winter.
3 avenue du Général Eisenhower, 011-33-1-44-13-17-17, rmn.fr/gustavecourbet/english.
'American Sabor: Latinos in US Popular Music'
Experience Music Project
SEATTLE
Through Sept. 7
The impact of Latin music has been as diverse as it has been widespread. This exhibition focuses on five US centers of Latin music: New York, Los Angeles, Miami, San Antonio, and San Francisco. It surveys everything from '40s rumba to current banda rap, as well as Afro-Cuban jazz, boogaloo, mambo, salsa, Chicano groove, conjunto, and reggaeton. Objects on display include Ritchie Valens's guitar, Willie Colon's trumpet, a violin that belonged to Carlos Santana's father, a sequined black gown once worn by Celia Cruz, and reproductions of more than 100 LP covers.
325 Fifth Avenue North, 877-367-7361, empsfm.org.
'Doctor Atomic'
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Through Jan. 19
Since 1987, when they collaborated on "Nixon in China," composer John Adams and director Peter Sellars have been transforming opera. "Doctor Atomic," their latest joint effort, takes on a uniquely explosive subject: the development of the atomic bomb by the US government's secret Manhattan Project. The title character is the project head, the physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, played by Gerald Finley. Eric Owens is General Leslie Groves, the military overseer of the project, and Jessica Rivera is Oppenheimer's wife, Kitty. This is only the opera's third staging, after its world premiere in San Francisco, in 2005, and the Netherlands Opera run, in Amsterdam, in June.
20 North Wacker Drive, 312-332-2244, lyric opera.org.
Events are sometimes canceled, rescheduled, or sold out; call or check online to confirm. Mark Feeney can be reached at mfeeney@globe.com.
