Spring Arts: Art

The most exciting art season in years is upon us, with the opening this weekend at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts of a major survey of Henry Ossawa Tanner's landmark career and an exhibition of Vincent van Gogh's nature paintings just around the corner at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The Art Museum will follow van Gogh with another monumental subject: how three artistic giants - Paul Cezanne, Henri Matisse, and Paul Gauguin - responded to the timeless subject of Arcadia with epic canvases.

The biggest news, though, will be the opening of the new Barnes Foundation gallery on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on May 19. The long-anticipated event will end years of controversy over relocation of the fabled collection from its original home in Merion.

Spring Arts: Rich shows are reason to celebrate

"Van Gogh Up Close" (Philadelphia Museum of Art, Feb. 1-May 6) A survey of the Dutch artist's passion for the natural world through 45 still lifes and landscapes painted during his years in France. (215-763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org)

"Visions of Arcadia" (Philadelphia Museum of Art, June 20-Sept. 3) Masterpieces by Cezanne, Matisse, and Gauguin explore the theme of earthly paradise. (215-763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org)

"Treasures from the Uffizi Gallery" (James A. Michener Art Museum, April 21-Aug. 10) The work of major Renaissance painters comes to Doylestown in this loan show from the Italian museum. (215-340-9800 or www.michenerartmuseum.org)

"Who Shot Rock & Roll" (Allentown Art Museum, Feb. 11-May 13) A photographic catalog of some of the biggest names in popular music over the last 50 years. (610-432-4333 or www.allentownartmuseum.org)

"PAFA and Dr. Barnes" (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, April 7-July 8) This show looks at the connections between the founder of the Barnes Foundation and the city's oldest art school and museum. (215-972-7600 or www.pafa.org)

Elaine Kurtz (Woodmere Art Museum, Feb. 17-April 22) A retrospective featuring Kurtz's geometric abstractions of the 1970s and layered ones of the 1990s. (215-247-0476 or www.woodmereartmuseum.org)

"The Happy Show" (Institute of Contemporary Art, April 4-Aug. 12) Designer Stefan Sagmeister blends typography and imagery to transform ordinary material like chairs and coat hangers. (215-898-7108 or www.icaphila.org)

"Soft Village" (Fabric Workshop and Museum, Feb. 3 to mid-May) An installation that celebrates the interaction of textiles, decorative arts, and architecture. (215-561-8888 or www.fabricworkshopandmuseum.org)

Andy Warhol Prints (Reading Public Museum, March 3-June 17) An exhibition of more than 60 prints and four paintings featuring portraits of celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and Mick Jagger. (610-371-5850 or www.readingpublicmuseum.org.)

Mary Page Evans (Delaware Art Museum, March 31-July 15) This show covers more than 40 years of the Wilmington painter's celebrations of nature and the human form. (302-571-9590 or www.delart.org)

Other spring art exhibitions of interest in Philadelphia and the region:

"Craft Spoken Here" (Philadelphia Museum of Art, May-June) Assembled from the museum collection and loans, this show examines links among form, process, and aesthetics. (215-763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org)

Rockwell Kent (Philadelphia Museum of Art, May 19-July 29) An exhibition of 80 prints, drawings, and illustrated books that tracks the artist's magnificent graphic output. (215-763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org)

Ralph Eugene Meatyard (Philadelphia Museum of Art, May 19-Aug. 5) This group of nearly 60 photographs documents Meatyard's lifelong interest in visual perception and literary illusion. (215-763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org)

"Nature as Language" (Woodmere Art Museum, Feb. 17-April 22) An exhibition that brings together works by Philadelphia artists who have been inspired by nature, from Edna Andrade to Warren Rohrer. (215-247-0476 or www.woodmereartmuseum.org)

Ray Yoshida (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, April 7-July 8) Influential as an artist and teacher, Yoshida is known for groundbreaking collages called "comic book specimens." (215-972-7600 or www.pafa.org)

"First Among Equals" (Institute of Contemporary Art, March 14-Aug. 12) This show examines various ways that today's artists extend their individual methods and work with peers. (215-898-7108 or www.icaphila.org)

Three California Artists (Fabric Workshop and Museum, March 2-late spring) Paintings by Mark Bradford, video projections by Jennifer Steinkamp, and multimedia works by Pae White. (215-561-8888 or www.fabricworkshopandmuseum.org)

"Art of the Fantastic" (Allentown Art Museum, June 3-Sept. 9) A show of art that portrays ancient myths and legends, modern-day fantasies, and dream states. (610-432-4333 or www.allentownartmuseum.org)

"Walter Baum and His Circle" (Allentown Art Museum, Feb. 5-May 13) A celebration of artists associated with Baum, an influential painter and teacher, built around a major painting by him of Allentown in winter. (610-432-4333 or www.allentownartmuseum.org)

"The Art of Tony Auth" (James A. Michener Art Museum, June 2-Sept. 23) The work of the Philadelphia Inquirer cartoonist has influenced public opinion and politicians for more than 40 years. (215-340-9800 or www.michenerartmuseum.org)

"Theresienstadt's Children and Their Art" (Reading Public Museum, Feb. 18-May 13) Features more than 30 collages, drawings, and objects created by children in the Theresienstadt ghetto during World War II. (610-371-5850 or www.readingpublicmuseum.org)

Constable Oil Sketches (Princeton University Art Museum, March 17-June 10) Lent by the Victoria and Albert Museum, these landscape studies reveal the great British painter's working method. (609-258-3788 or http://museum.princeton.edu)

"The Distaff Toolkit" (Berman Museum at Ursinus College, Jan. 24-April 1) Each work of art in this show is built around a tool used by women domestically in the past. (610-409-3500 or http://ursinus.edu/berman)

William Steig Cartoons (Brandywine River Museum, Jan. 21-March 11) Although best known as the creator of Shrek, Steig first became famous for his cartoons in the New Yorker magazine. (610-388-2700 or www.brandywinemuseum.org)

Ten African American Artists (Mechanical Hall, University of Delaware, Feb. 1-June 29) Ranging across several media and several generations, this show presents 10 contemporary black artists who have distinguished themselves nationally. (302-831-8037 to www.udel.edu/museums)

   - Edward J. Sozanski