“If a year was tucked inside of a clock, then autumn would be the magic hour.” Victoria Erickson…

Autumn is nature’s artistic palette is most striking – as the leaves turn from vivid bright greens to intense shades of burnt orange and the fields resemble golden amber…while it might still be 90 degrees in my hometown in North Carolina, fall is coming and this nature and art lover cannot wait.

In the next several months Art Expeditions will be diving posts on art influenced by autumn colors as well as are American Art Inspired Series…

I’m also excited to share a few upcoming ‘Art Expedition’ – Art Adventures via the blog as we will be traveling to several ART-Mazing Exhibits from Raleigh NC to Washington DC and beyond.

One of the reasons I started Art Expeditions is to showcase the many awesome art museums in the US and beyond. Most museums through the US are hosting amazing fall exhibits opening in September/October…so in between your pumpkin spice and harvest festivals don’t forget to make time for your local museum. Here is a link to our list of most of the major art museums in the United States…Fall in LOVE with ART this Autumn…

Today on the blog, I wanted to showcase a list of several MUST-SEE Exhibits opening this fall…

North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh: Dutch Art in a Global Age

An Art Expeditions favorite, The NCMA in Raleigh houses one of the finest collections of Renaissance Art in the US from Giotto to Botticelli and more. They also have a wonderful 19th-century art collection with masterworks by Pissarro and Monet…

This fall, The NCMA is playing host to one of the most exciting art exhibits of the fall…

Dutch Art in a Global Age: Masterpieces from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Dutch Art in a Global Age presents highlights from the
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, with an innovative focus.
Arranged thematically, the exhibition explores the
intersections among Dutch art, commercial networks, and
colonial expansion in the seventeenth century. The show
concludes with beautiful objects in silver and ceramic and
depictions of daily life, demonstrating the coexistence of the
familiar and the foreign—a world we still inhabit.
The presentation features paintings by Rembrandt, Frans
Hals, Gerrit Dou, Jacob van Ruisdael, Rachel Ruysch, and
other celebrated artists. These artworks are complemented
by five paintings from the NCMA’s Dutch collection, as well
as decorative arts and important prints from the MFA
Boston’s world-renowned collection.
This exhibition also celebrates the remarkable 2017 gift of
Dutch art from Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo, which
elevated the Dutch holdings of the Museum of Fine Arts,
Boston, to among the finest in the world. (From NCMA Official Press Release)

The exhibit opens on Saturday September 16th 2023 and will run through January 7th, 2024

Why I’m excited: I recently took a course Dutch Masters and it opened my eyes to the mastery of Dutch painters…Most have heard about Rembrandt – who is worth dedicating an entire series on, but Dutch art is comprised of hundreds of skilled painters and artisans who piqued in the late-Renissance to Baroque area creating entire ‘genres’ of art. Dutch genre paintings including still life are so realistic they mimic real life, while also combining deep symbolism and humor into most works.

During the peak of The Dutch Master Era, there were more registered painters in major Dutch Cities like Amsterdam and Delft than anywhere else in Europe. During this ‘Golden Age,’ art became more accessible for the merchant class, who would invest in various genre paintings, portraits and more. Dutch artists like Anthony Van Dyck, Peter Paul Rubens and Rembrant were renowned as far away as Italy to England.

This exhibit will highlight the treasures The MFA of Boston’s collection alongside of The NCMA’s own masterful Dutch collection telling a unique story of art and history thatis not to be missed.

The NCMA has a full schedule of exhibit events including a lecture series and workshops.

You can learn more about the exhibit and all The NCMA has to offer on their website.

I’ll be doing a feature blog on the exhibit after visiting in mid-September!

Museum of Fine Arts – Boston:

Fashioned by Sargent: October 8th, 2023- January 15th, 2024

“In portraits by John Singer Sargent (1856–1925), sitters assume elegant stances, the fabric of their dress richly depicted in broad, sensuous strokes of paint. Sargent brought his subjects to life, but he did much more than simply record what appeared before him. He often chose what his sitters wore and, even if they arrived in his studio dressed in the latest fashions, he frequently simplified and altered the details. Exploiting dress was an integral part of his artistry.

Organized with Tate Britain, “Fashioned by Sargent” explores the artist’s complex relationship with his often-affluent clients and their clothes. The exhibition reveals Sargent’s power over his sitters’ images by considering the liberties he took with sartorial choices to express distinctive personalities, social positions, professions, gender identities, and nationalities. Alongside about 50 paintings by Sargent, over a dozen period garments and accessories shed new light on the relationship between fashion and this beloved artist’s creative practice.” (MFA Press Release)

MFA Boston is also hosting an AMAZING Renaissance Exhibit: Strong Women in Renaissance Italy (September 9, 2023-January 7th 2024); We’ll be covering this exhibit in a future Renaissance Wednesday post.

Philadelphia Museum of Art: Whistler’s Mother (Through October 29th)

A rare opportunity to see Whistler’s famed portrait of his mother on American soil.

Get the exhibit details here.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met always has top exhibits on display in addition to their world famous permanent collection…This fall is no exception…Manet/Degas is a joint exhibit by The Musee d’Orsay in Paris and The MET, which will feature over 150 works by these early founders of Impressionism…I may be on a budget…but am tempted to fly to NYC just for this exhibit – it’s that impressive!

“This exhibition examines one of the most significant artistic dialogues in modern art history: the close and sometimes tumultuous relationship between Édouard Manet and Edgar Degas. Born only two years apart, Manet (1832–1883) and Degas (1834–1917) were friends, rivals, and, at times, antagonists who worked to define modern painting in France. By examining their careers in parallel and presenting their work side by side, this exhibition investigates how their artistic objectives and approaches both overlapped and diverged.

Through more than 150 paintings and works on paper, Manet/Degas takes a fresh look at the interactions of these two artists in the context of the family relationships, friendships, and intellectual circles that influenced their artistic and professional choices, deepening our understanding of a key moment in nineteenth-century French painting.

Manet/Degas is organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie, Paris.” MET Press Release

Click here for offical website (MET – Manet/Degas)

We’ll continue to feature upcoming and ongoing fall exhibits across the US on the blog, but hopefully this ‘preview’ of what’s to come has got you excited to plan an art-adventure.

Need help planning your adventure…I also run travel blog American Nomad and am happy to provide some advice (free) from my experience visiting major art museums and tourist areas. Feel free to reach out via the contact form below.

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