April 2013 - National Gallery of Art

 

Jan Davidsz de Heem, Vase of Flowers, c. 1660 De Heem (1606-1683/1684) was one of the most gifted 17th-century Dutch still-life artists. Note his realistic depiction of tulip petals; reeds of wheat; minute animals including butterflies, ants, snails, and caterpillars; and reflections on the transparent glass vase. West Building, Main Floor, Gallery 50

Your Art Mobile App Discover highlights of our collections with this free new app for iPhone and iPod Touch. A limited number of iPod Touch devices loaded with the app are also available for loan to Gallery visitors.

GUIDED TOUR Glimpses of 17th-Century Life Throughout Western Europe in the 17th century, artists took an increased interest in the life of the middle and working classes. Tours will view works by painters from Holland, Spain, France, and other nations, revealing aspects of contemporary society as seen by those who lived it. (Image: Louis Le Nain, Landscape with Peasants, c. 1640, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Samuel H. Kress Collection) Tuesdays, 11:30 a.m. West Building Main Floor, Rotunda

THE SIXTY-SECOND A. W. MELLON LECTURES IN THE FINE ARTS Out of Site in Plain View: A History of Exhibiting Architecture since 1750 In this series of six lectures, Barry Bergdoll, The Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art and professor at Columbia University, explores why architecture is at once the most public of arts and the hardest to bring into the spaces of the gallery or the museum. (Image: Barry Bergdoll. Photograph: The Museum of Modern Art [Robin Holland]) April 7, 14, 21, 28, 2 p.m. (continues in May) East Building Concourse, Auditorium

CONCERTS Gilbert and Sullivan In honor of Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Art and Design, 1848-1900, the National Gallery of Art Vocal Ensemble presents two programs of music by British composers who were contemporaries of the Pre-Raphaelite painters. The program includes excerpts from Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta, Patience. (Image: Dante Gabriel Rossetti, The Wedding of St. George and Princess Sabra, 1857, Tate. Purchased with assistance from Sir Arthur Du Cros Bt and Sir Otto Beit KCMG, through the Art Fund 1916) April 10, 12:10 p.m., West Building Lecture Hall April 14, 6:30 p.m, West Building Main Floor, West Garden Court

DRAWING SALON Composition and Perspective: Canaletto and Panini This month's Drawing Salon focuses on the principles of one- and two-point perspective drawing in order to explore the detailed scenes portrayed in the landscape paintings of Canaletto and Panini. (Image: Canaletto, The Square of Saint Mark's, Venice, 1742/1744, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Mrs. Barbara Hutton) April 11, 14, 1-3 p.m. West Building, East Garden Court

FILM EVENT Museum Hours Washington premiere, Jem Cohen in person Jem Cohen's new narrative feature, set mainly inside the vast Kunsthistorisches Museum, revolves around an oddly fascinating bond that develops between a visitor to Vienna and a middle-aged museum guard. April 14, 4:30 p.m. East Building Concourse, Auditorium

Cherry Picks Celebrate the blossoms with sweet treats at the Gallery! Cool off with cherry-flavored gelatos and sorbettos at the Espresso and Gelato Bar or stop by the Garden Cafe Britannia to try Chef Cathal Armstrong's decadent Cherry, Sherry Trifle. (Image: Cherry, Sherry Trifle. Photo by Rob Shelley, copyright National Gallery of Art, Washington) Garden Cafe Britannia Monday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, noon-4 p.m.; pre-concert menu, 4-6 p.m. West Building, Ground Floor Espresso and Gelato Bar Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. East Building, Concourse

National Cherry Blossom Festival The Gallery Shops have plenty of gifts and accessories to celebrate this year's Cherry Blossom Festival! Pick up a blown, hand-painted glass ornament ($20) featuring delicate pink blossoms, or channel your creativity with a pink or white cherry blossom pen ($5.95).

In the Library: Announcements from the Vertical Files This selection of exhibition announcements and invitations from the Library's Vertical Files provides unique insight into post-War aesthetics and the material culture of the art world. (Image: Galleria Christian Stein, Alighiero Boetti, Turin, 1976, National Gallery of Art Library, David K. E. Bruce Fund) Through April 26 East Building Ground Level, Library