Openings and Closings: May 12 to May 18

Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Alabama

Last week, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts welcomed a new exhibition entitled Character Studies. Drawing on works in the museum’s collection, the exhibit takes a playful look at portraiture that rejects realism. Featuring works from artists such as Philip Guston and Red Grooms, the show highlights figurative constructions of the face that include caricatures, the cartoon-esque, and even grotesques. As always, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts is free to all so, check here to plan your visit in advance.

*The Ballerina* by Edgar Degas (1834–1917), c. 1876. *San Diego Museum of Fine Arts, California.*

The San Diego Museum of Art, California

This season, the San Diego Museum of Art is hosting the exhibition Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Drawing primarily from the museum’s permanent collection, the exhibition boasts works by artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Edgar Degas, and Berthe Morisot, and traces the evolution of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements of the late 19^th and early 20^th-centuries. The techniques characteristic of the two movements provide a colorful experience for spring-time visitors. So, don’t wait for the weather to heat up – take a trip over to SDMA! You can plan your trip here.

*Racing* by Sybil Andrews (1898–1992), 1934. *Estate of Sybil Andrews, Glenbow, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canda, gift of Sharilyn J. Ingram and Wayne Morgan.*

Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada

In 1925, artists Iain Macnab and Claude Flight founded the Grosvenor School of Modern Art, London. The private British art school worked to revive interest in printmaking, particularly the linocut. Although the school closed in 1940, it’s legacy lives on through the works of artists who passed through. The Art Gallery of Ontario is currently hosting an exhibition of color linocuts by three women artists who attended the Grosvenor School: Sybil Andrews, Lill Tschudi, and Dorrit Black. Click the link to learn more about the exhibition Grosvenor School Linocuts.

*East Hartford Meadows* by Milton Avery (1885–1965), 1919. *The Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Inc., New York, New York; courtesy of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut.*

Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut

Like many artists, the American modernist Milton Avery moved to New York City to further his artistic career. But in the early decades of the 20^th century, Avery spent some of his formative years as an artist studying at the Connecticut League of Art Students in Hartford. Opening on May 14 at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is the exhibition Milton Avery: The Connecticut Years. Featuring nearly thirty sketches, watercolors, and oil paintings, the exhibition offers a glimpse into Avery’s early works in landscapes, as well as some insight into his artistic roots. As you’re planning your trip over to the Wadsworth, check here.