EVENT CATEGORIES

ART 

Through Feb. 1

From Neoclassicism to Futurism: Italian Prints and Drawings, 1800–1925

The visual arts in Italy between the first stirrings of nationalistic sentiment and its corruption into Fascism — the long development of the modern Italian state — remained extraordinarily diverse and vital. The National Gallery of Art has in recent years begun to develop a collection of Italian prints and drawings of this period that is surpassed only by the holdings of Italy’s principal museums.

National Gallery of Art

Through Feb. 1

Modern American Prints and Drawings from the Kainen Collection

The final in a series of three exhibitions celebrating the generous bequest of Ruth Cole Kainen, this show explores the first seven decades of 20th-century American art.

National Gallery of Art

Through Feb. 1

Modern and Contemporary Art in the Dominican Republic: Works from the Customs Office Collection

This scenic view and historic sketch of 30 artworks showcases the consistency, quality and diversity of the Collection of the Directorate General of Customs, which stands as one of the more important creative spaces in the region.

Art Museum of the Americas

Feb. 1 to May 3

Piero di Cosimo: The Poetry of Painting in Renaissance Florence

The first major retrospective exhibition of paintings by the imaginative Italian Renaissance master Piero di Cosimo features 44 of the artist’s most compelling paintings, including fanciful mythologies, powerful religious works (one on loan for the first time from the church in Italy for which it was created 500 years ago), and sensitive portraits.

National Gallery of Art

Feb. 1 to Aug. 2

From the Library: Florentine Publishing in the Renaissance

This exhibition presents a variety of books from the late 15th through the early 17th century and explores the development of publishing related to the artistic and scholarly community in Florence.

National Gallery of Art

Feb. 5 to March 29

Cutting-Edge Spanish Crafts

Curated by Tachy Mora, and based in her book “Cutting-Edge Spanish Crafts,” this exhibition invites you to discover the contemporary crafts from Spain through a selection of objects by individual crafters and designers, industrial innovators and large firms, including Loewe, Lladró, Cerabella, Apparatu and Peseta.

Spanish Cultural Center

Through Feb. 6

War from the Victims’ Perspective: Photographs by Jean Mohr

In partnership with the Swiss Embassy, Geneva-born photographer Jean Mohr presents images of war, from young refugees to destroyed buildings, to mark the 150th anniversaries of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the 1864 Geneva Convention.

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Feb. 7 to May 10

Man Ray—Human Equations: A Journey from Mathematics to Shakespeare

Highlighting the multimedia work of the legendary Surrealist artist, “Man Ray—Human Equations” explores the intersection of art and science that defined a significant component of modern art on both sides of the Atlantic at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Phillips Collection

Through Feb. 13

Martin Karplus: Photographs 1953-2009

Martin Karplus is a chemist, professor emeritus at Harvard University and Nobel laureate who has spent the past 50 years consumed by a passion for documenting humanity in thousands of photographs. Taken in Europe, Asia and the Americas, his photographs capture societies at pivotal moments in their cultural and economic development in rich Kodachrome color.

Embassy of Austria

Through Feb. 15

Candela’s Shells: The Reinforced Concrete Shells of Spanish-Mexican Architect Félix Candela

Félix Candela rocked the world of architecture with his renowned concrete shells built in the 1950s and 1960s. This traveling exhibit commemorates the architect’s 100th birthday.

Art Museum of the Americas

Through Feb. 16

El Greco in the National Gallery of Art and Washington-Area Collections: A 400th Anniversary Celebration

On the 400th anniversary of El Greco’s death, the National Gallery of Art — with one of the largest number of the artist’s works in the United States — presents a commemorative exhibition of El Greco’s paintings.

National Gallery of Art

Through Feb. 19

New Art Resolutions

Following the photography exhibition “Divinités noires” presented at the Embassy of France last fall during FotoWeek DC, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy is pleased to announce that part of this series by photographers Dany Leriche and Jean Michel Fickinger will be featured in a group exhibition that also includes Félix Ángel, Gaudí Esté, Ana Schmidt and many others.

All We Art

Feb. 19 to July 7

Libertad de Expresión: The Art Museum of the Americas and Cold War Politics

Following the creation of the Organization of American States in 1948, its Visual Arts Section, under the direction of Cuban José Gómez Sicre, began an ambitious exhibition program that would further awareness of the art of the Caribbean and Central and South America in the United States. Sicre’s support for international modernism also allied him with U.S. Cold War Warriors, who used freedom of expression as a tool in the cultural and intellectual struggle against the Soviets.

Art Museum of the Americas

Through Feb. 20

Multi-lane H.O.V

This display of diverse visual, mixed media and sculpture art by four young artists from New York-based H.O.V Art plays on themes of individuality, emotion and the always changing, infinitely possible self.

Korean Cultural Center

Through Feb. 26

Decoding the Renaissance

During the Renaissance, the art and science of cryptography came into its own. The advent of printing, development of diplomacy and creation of postal systems created an obsession with encryption that produced some of the period’s most brilliant inventions, most beautiful books and most enduring legacies. This exhibition features the best collection ever assembled of early works on codes and ciphers.

Folger Shakespeare Library

Through Feb. 27

Light and Dar: Photographs from Germany by Barbara Klemm

Spanning forty years, Barbara Klemm’s works bear witness to Germany’s recent history, and to a country that was divided for decades. Many of her pictures have become “icons of contemporary,” shaping the cultural memory of several generations.

Goethe-Institut

Through March 6

Primal Connections: Paintings by Deanna Schwartzberg

Deanna Schwartzberg’s passionate concern for the environment and keen awareness of the destructive forces that threaten our ability to live in harmony with nature has been the impetus of her work for many years. In her paintings, we enter a world of color and light that inspires us to contemplate the shared presence of humanity and the natural world.

Art Museum of the Americas

Through March 15

Identidad

“Identidad” showcases the work of Argentinean glassmaker Silvia Levenson, featuring 116 intricate pieces of cast glass baby clothing, an homage to the social movement of the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo. The grandmothers led a campaign to reunite missing grandchildren with their families following the Dirty War, a dark chapter in the country’s history.

American University Museum

Katzen Arts Center

Through March 22

Nasta’liq: The Genius of Persian Calligraphy

More than 20 works ranging in date from 1400 to 1600 form the first exhibition of its kind to focus on nasta‛liq, a calligraphic script that developed in the 14th century in Iran and remains one of the most expressive forms of aesthetic refinement in Persian culture to this day.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Through April 12

Days of Endless Time

This exhibit presents 14 installations that offer prismatic vantage points into the suspension and attenuation of time or that create a sense of timelessness, with themes such as escape, solitude, enchantment and the thrall of nature.

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Through April 12

Picturing Mary: Woman, Mother, Idea

For millennia, Mary has been one of the most popular subjects in the history of Western art. This landmark exhibition of more than 60 beautiful depictions of the Virgin Mary explores the concept of womanhood represented by Mary and the power her image has exerted through time.

National Museum of Women in the Arts

Through May 15

Hands-On Urbanism. The Right to Green

The research-based exhibition is dedicated to the history of the idea of appropriating land in urban space. Since the shockwave of modernization that accompanied industrialization, towns and cities worldwide have had to face some very significant challenges. City-dwellers, who have always found a number of solutions in crisis situations, are involved in bottom-up urban development, as fruit and vegetable gardens led to other forms of collective cohesion, neighborliness and fair distribution.

Embassy of Austria

Through May 31

Style in Chinese Landscape Painting: The Yuan Legacy

Landscape painting is one of the most outstanding achievements of Chinese culture. Key styles in this genre emerged during the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) and are still followed today.

Freer Gallery of Art

Through May 31

The Traveler’s Eye: Scenes of Asia

Featuring more than 100 works created over the past five centuries, “The Traveler’s Eye: Scenes of Asia” provides glimpses of travels across the Asian continent, from pilgrimages and research trips to expeditions for trade and tourism.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Through June 7

Perspectives: Chiharu Shiota

Performance and installation artist Chiharu Shiota, Japan’s representative at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015, will recreate a monumental yet intimate work in the Sackler pavilion that amasses personal memories through an accumulation of nearly 400 individual shoes, each with a note from the donor describing lost individuals and past moments.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Through June 7

Unearthing Arabia: The Archaeological Adventures of Wendell Phillips

Wendell Phillips, a young paleontologist and geologist, headed one of the largest archaeological expeditions to remote South Arabia (present-day Yemen) from 1949 to 1951. Through a selection of unearthed objects as well as film and photography shot by the expedition team, the exhibition highlights Phillips’s key finds, recreates his adventures (and misadventures), and conveys the thrill of discovery on this important great archaeological frontier.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Through June 14

Zen, Tea, and Chinese Art in Medieval Japan

Zen Buddhism, tea and ink painting — well-known expressions of Japanese culture — have their roots in Chinese arts and ideas brought to medieval Japan from the late 12th to the 16th century. Chinese and Japanese paintings, lacquer ware and ceramics illuminate this remarkable period of cultural contact and synthesis.

Freer Gallery of Art

Through Aug. 9

Jacob Lawrence: Struggle … From the History of the American People

Produced between 1954 and 1956, Jacob Lawrence’s “Struggle … From the History of the American People” portrays scenes from American history, chronicling events from the Revolutionary War through the great westward expansion of 1817.

The Phillips Collection

Through Sept. 13

Chief S.O. Alonge: Photographer to the Royal Court of Benin, Nigeria

This retrospective showcases the work of noted Nigerian photographer Chief S.O. Alonge, the first indigenous photographer of the Royal Court of Benin, in conjunction with royal arts from the Benin kingdom. The collection of historic photographs was captured on Kodak glass-plate negatives and documents more than 50 years of the ritual, pageantry and regalia of the obas (kings), their wives and retainers.

National Museum of African Art

DANCE

Feb. 18 to 22

The Washington Ballet: Sleepy Hollow

An atmospheric thriller, Washington Irving’s classic tale is now being told through the expressive and lush language of ballet. Tickets are $45 to $145.

Kennedy Center

MUSIC

Sat., Feb. 21, 5:30 p.m.

Sizzling Sounds of Cuba

Classical Movements is pleased to announce the next concert of its “Serenade! International Choral Series,” featuring one of Cuba’s leading a cappella choral ensembles, Camerata Vocale Sine Nomine, a rarity in the rich choral movement in Cuba, with only male singers employing countertenor voices (soprano and alto), tenor and bass. Tickets are $10 to $30 and can be purchased at http://cameratavocalesinenomine.eventbrite.com.

Church of the Epiphany – G Street

Thu., Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m.

Hermès Quartet – Embassy of France

The French Embassy opens its doors to celebrate the luminous talent of the Hermès Quartet, whose members the Washington Post praises for their “world-class quartet playing” and says “will likely take their place among the top quartets of our time.” Tickets are $75; for information, visit www.embassyseries.org.

Embassy of France

RECEPTIONS

Mon., Feb. 16, 3:30 p.m.

Traditional Viennese Concert Café

Join Ambassador Hans Peter Manz, the Austrian Cultural Forum and the American-Austrian Cultural Society for a traditional wiener kaffeehausjause (Viennese café) prepared by Austrian master chef Wilhelm Jonach, with Viennese coffee, tea or a glass of delicious Austrian wine, traditional Belegte Brötchen (open sandwiches), as well as Apfelstrudel mit Schlagobers (apple strudel with whipped cream) and exquisite petit fours. This year’s program features musical entertainment by noted pianist and conductor Stan Engebretson of George Mason University and rising young soprano star Aundi Marie Moore. Tickets are $45.

Embassy of Austria

Fri., Feb. 20, 7 p.m.

11th Annual Viennese Ball at the Austrian Embassy

Experience a magical evening at the Austrian Embassy for an unforgettable Viennese celebration of music, food, wine and dancing. The Salon Orchestra of Washington will perform favorite Strauss waltzes, ballroom music from around the world and the famous Radetsky Grand March. This is also a great opportunity for a private viewing of the embassy’s artwork while enjoying the elegant atmosphere of a European Ball and meeting international professionals and members of the diplomatic community. Tickets start at $75; to purchase visit www.internationalclubdc.com.

Embassy of Austria

Sat., Feb. 21, 12 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Chance for Life

This one-of-a-kind charity event will raise awareness for Pediatric Spinal Cord Cancer Research at the Sphinx Club. Celebrating its 10th anniversary with over $1 million raised to date, Chance for Life will host special guests such as former Redskins cornerback Shawn Springs, former NFL player Brian Mitchell, NBC 4 anchor Jim Vance and Brian Jarosinski of “The Bachelorette”; along with a poker tournament (including a $10,000 grand prize entry to the World Series of Poker); wine tasting; gourmet hors d’oeuvres; live music; and an after party. Kennedy Snyder, a 14-year-old who has had spinal cord cancer for the past 12 years, is the driving force behind this event. For information and tickets, visit www.chanceforlife.net.

The Sphinx Club

Thu., Feb. 26, 6:30 p.m.

Bella Notte: An Evening to Benefit Pediatric Brain Tumor Research

The third annual Bella Notte Benefit, held under the patronage of Ambassador of Italy Claudio Bisogniero and his wife, supports the launch of a national multi-center trial for children with mutated high-grade glimoas, a previously untreatable brain tumor. Together with the National Brain Tumor Society and Children’s National, this year’s committee has designed an Italian soirée featuring cocktails, live performances, exclusive silent auction items and a stage for the voice of our patients and families who have been touched by these difficult diagnoses. Tickets are $150; for information visit https://nbtsevents.braintumor.org/washington/events/2015-bella-notte/e38862

Embassy of Italy

THEATER

Feb. 4 to 21

Dunsinane

In his majestic sequel to Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” presented by the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Shakespeare Company, playwright David Greig has taken Scotland’s real history and dramatically mixed it with the setting of Shakespeare’s play, one of the most famous landscapes in literature, even though Shakespeare himself never set foot on Scottish soil. Tickets are $20 to $110.

Shakespeare Theatre Company

Sidney Harman Hall

Feb. 5 to March 1

Los Empeños de una Casa

(House of Desires)

Don Pedro loves Doña Leonor who loves Don Carlos, who is desired by Doña Ana in this romantic Spanish Golden Age comedy of intrigue that mixes lyrical poetry, puns, songs, cross-dressing, and mistaken identities. Please call for ticket information.

GALA Hispanic Theatre

Feb. 6 to March 8

King Hedley II

With an angry scar down the length of his face and seven years of prison haunting him, King has a chance to lock away his past and achieve an entrepreneurial dream, but Pittsburgh’s Hill District is an unforgiving place. Tickets are $45 to $90.

Arena Stage

Feb. 11 to March 22

Much Ado About Nothing

Confirmed bachelor Benedick and the equally spirited and unwed Beatrice will spar, court and conspire in Synetic’s 11th “Wordless Shakespeare” adaptation — a flirtatious and fiercely funny show set in 1950s Las Vegas. Tickets start at $35.

Synetic Theater

Through Feb. 12

Gigi

Starring Vanessa Hudgens, Eric Schaeffer directs a world premiere production of Lerner and Loewe’s musical comedy, where true love between a free-spirited young woman and a wealthy young playboy must overcome the conventions of turn-of-the-century Paris. Tickets are $45 to $145.

Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

Feb. 12 to March 8

No Hay Que Llorar

(No Need to Cry)

Teatro de la Luna’s hilarious comedy, in Argentina’s Grotesque genre, unfolds as a family comes together at a reunion to celebrate their matriarch’s birthday. The mother’s greed and the non-conformance, selfishness and deceit at the gathering reveal the true and gritty feel of this middle-class family, with alarming hints at decay. Tickets are $20 to $35.

Gunston Arts Center

Feb. 21 to March 10

Dialogues of the Carmelites

Faith is put to the ultimate test in Poulenc’s powerful opera about an order of Carmelite nuns who refuse to renounce their beliefs during the French Revolution. Washington National Opera Artistic Director Francesca Zambello directs this company premiere, sung in English. Tickets are $25 to $300.

Kennedy Center

Through Feb. 22

Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery

Five actors deftly portray more than 40 characters in this fast-paced, comedic retelling of Sherlock Holmes’s most notorious case, “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” by the award-winning mastermind of mayhem, Ken Ludwig. Tickets are $45 to $90.

Arena Stage

Through Feb. 22

Choir Boy

For 50 years, the elite boarding school Charles R. Drew Prep has stood by its traditions and prepared young black men to lead. But times and finances have changed, and the pressure on Drew’s legendary gospel choir is high. So when an ambitious and talented student is told to ignore a gay slur to take his place as the choir’s leader, he has to decide who he is and what he’s willing to fight for. Tickets are $44 to $88.

Studio Theatre

Through March 8

Mary Stuart

Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, has been imprisoned under charges of attempted regicide. Her captor and cousin Queen Elizabeth I cannot bring herself to sign the death decree. In a society where women are considered inferior, these two queens charged with ruling as kings battle sexism, greed, lust and each other in Peter Oswald’s bold new translation of Friedrich Schiller’s “Mary Stuart.” Tickets are $40 to $75.

Folger Shakespeare Library