This spring and summer feature a variety of wonderful French exhibitions and events around the U.S. If you have a trip to France planned, they are a good way to whet your appetite for your coming adventures on French soil. And if you don’t have French travel planned at the moment, these activities can give you the sense of being in France – if only for a few hours. So check out the list below and experience a bit of France around the U.S.!
Boston: “Manet in Black” at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts showcases the 19th century artist’s superb talents at drawing and print-making. Through October 28, 2012.
Cincinnati: Visit Monet’s gardens at Giverny through this small but choice exhibit entitled “Monet in Giverny: Landscapes in Reflection.” Through May 13, 2012.
Dallas: The French department at SMU is hosting their annual French film festival March 24 to April 13. A selection of six French films will be shown in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center. Admission is free. Click here for films and times.
Denver: The Denver Art Museum is the only U.S. venue to offer “Yves Saint Laurent: A Retrospective” beginning on March 25, 2012. This exquisite fashion show features 40 years of the designer’s genius and includes 200 haute couture creations as well as accompanying photos, drawings and films. Through July 8, 2012.
Ft. Worth: Impressionism comes to the Kimbell Art Museum in Ft. Worth in this stunning exhibition of paintings entitled “The Age of Impressionism: Great French Paintings from the Clark.” The Clark Art Institute in Massachusetts holds one of the greatest collections of Impressionist art in the world and is sharing its masterpieces with the Kimbell through June 17, 2012.
Kansas City: Rodin comes to Kansas City in this special exhibition of 40 of the sculptor’s best bronze works. “Rodin: Sculptures from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation” is on view through June 3rd at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
New York: The Frick Collection pays homage to Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s stunning works in this first-ever comprehensive exhibition on his full-length format paintings. “Renoir, Impressionism, and Full-Length Painting” features nine incomparable grand canvases by the Impressionist artist. Through May 13, 2012.
New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents “The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso and the Parisian Avant-Garde,” a noteworthy exhibition of over 200 works collected by the Stein siblings in early 1900’s Paris. This show was a sellout in Paris last year. Through June 3, 2012.
Philadelphia: “Van Gogh Up Close” is currently view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This exhibition focuses on the intense years in Van Gogh’s life from his arrival in Paris in 1886 until his death in at Auvers in 1890. Through May 6, 2012.
Portland, Maine: The Portland Museum of Art presents “Edgar Degas: The Private Impressionist,” an intriguing exhibition of this complex artist’s drawings, prints, pastels, photographs, and sculptures. The show also includes rare works by artists of his circle including Cézanne and Toulouse-Lautrec. Through May 28, 2012.
Washington, DC: The National Museum of Women in the Arts presents “Royalists to Romantics: Women Artists from the Louvre, Versailles, and Other French National Collections.” This intriguing show features the works of 35 women artists working between 1750 and 1850, many of which have never been seen outside of France. Through July 29, 2012.
Washington, DC: Hillwood Estate and Museum features “The Style that Ruled the Empires: Russia, Napoleon and 1812“ commemorates the bicentennial of Russia’s military defeat of Napoleon. This fascinating exhibition that showcases the French Empire style of the nineteenth century through paintings, porcelain, glassware, metaware, attire and Napoleonic armor and militaria. Through June 2, 2012.