SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
The Belgian-born, Paris-based designer Martin Margiela is known for his deconstructionist garments, whose exposed linings and unfinished edges belie their impeccable craftsmanship. One of Maison Martin Margiela’s key lines is the Artisanal Collection, featuring unique accessories and vêtements transformés handmade from recycled items—children’s party dresses become sleeves; ballet slippers, handbags; gas masks, pants. The fanciful floral creation above is one of a selection of Artisanal pieces from Spring 2006 to be included in FASHION SHOW: THE PARIS COLLECTIONS, which opens this fall at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Among the nine other design houses to be represented will be Chanel, Valentino, Christian Dior and Yohji Yamamoto. The exhibition will display each house’s garments in a setting styled after the 2006 runway show in which they were first presented. Nov. 12 through March 18, 2007. mfa.org

New York
FRENCH JEWELRY
For her 40th birthday, Richard Burton gave Elizabeth Taylor a Cartier necklace set with a heart-shaped diamond once bestowed upon the woman who inspired the Taj Mahal. That piece is one of 150 on display in Masterpieces of French Jewelry From American Collections, which traces the evolution of French jewelry design from the late 19th century to the present, showcasing examples of Art Nouveau, Edwardian, Art Deco and other styles. Further highlights include gold pieces designed by Man Ray and Pablo Picasso, and a mystery-set ruby, sapphire and diamond flower brooch created by Van Cleef & Arpels for the U.S. bicentennial.
Through Dec. 31 at The Forbes Galleries. forbesgalleries.com

Baltimore
LUCAS COLLECTION
In the 19th century, the American collector George Lucas amassed some 20,000 works of French art, creating an eloquent inventory of the major artists and styles of his day. A View Toward Paris: The Lucas Collection of 19th-Century French Art features nearly 200 paintings, sculptures and works on paper, joining pieces by Manet, Pissarro, Delacroix and other luminaries with those of artists who were once well known but have since fallen into obscurity.
Oct. 1 through Dec. 31 at The Baltimore Museum of Art. artbma.org

Tulsa
BOUGUEREAU
The 19th-century painter Bouguereau was a leading adherent of the Academic style, favoring idealized images, orderly compositions and invisible brushstrokes—the antithesis of Impressionism, which he disdained. He enjoyed great success on both sides of the Atlantic and was a respected teacher who counted some 200 Americans among his students. In the Studios of Paris: William Bouguereau and His American Students, the first exhibition on this subject, presents 55 paintings, drawings and prints by the master and some of his better-known pupils, including Elizabeth Gardner, whom he married.
Through Dec. 31 at the Philbrook Museum of Art. philbrook.org

New York
CÉZANNE TO PICASSO
Cézanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde celebrates the influential art dealer who championed many of the foremost talents of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among his various achievements were organizing Picasso’s first exhibition in France, Matisse’s first solo show and a landmark retrospective credited with cementing Cézanne’s place in the modern pantheon. These artists and many others—Bonnard, Degas, Gauguin and Van Gogh, to name but a few—are represented by more than 100 paintings along with ceramics, sculpture, prints and livres d’artistes.
Through Jan. 7, 2007, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. metmuseum.org

Baton Rouge
TREASURES FROM NEW ORLEANS
Through 62 rarely loaned paintings and works on paper by such big names as Monet, Gauguin and Picasso, Impressionists and Modern Masters from the New Orleans Museum of Art offers an overview of the major movements in Western art from 1860 to 1950.
Through Jan. 7, 2007, at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum. lasm.org

Baltimore
COURBET LANDSCAPES
Courbet and the Modern Landscape looks at the way a single artist’s innovative approach in the 1860s changed the course of painting for the century that followed. Moving beyond the notion of painting as a medium to be read and interpreted, Gustave Courbet created landscapes that instead captured a fleeting moment in time. In their portrayal of nature as it truly appeared in one instant, his landscapes set the stage for the issues confronted by the Impressionists and served as a foundation for Modernist painting.
Oct. 15 through Jan. 7, 2007, at the Walters Art Museum. thewalters.org

San Francisco
CLAUDE LORRAIN
The 17th-century artist Claude Lorrain spent most of his life in Rome, drawing much inspiration from the surrounding countryside and helping to elevate the genre of landscape painting through his classical compositions. His many drawings, from quick sketches to elaborate designs for paintings, offer insight into his creative process; he even kept a portfolio, known as the “Liber Veritatis,” or “Book of Truth,” in which he documented his paintings so as to foil forgers. Audiences can view 85 of his works on paper along with 15 paintings in Claude Lorrain—The Painter as Draftsman: Drawings from the British Museum.
Oct. 14 through Jan. 14, 2007, at the Legion of Honor. thinker.org

Columbus
DEGAS LANDSCAPES
Best known as a master of the human figure, Degas also turned his talents to landscape art; in fact, his first solo show was devoted to innovative oil monotypes in that genre. Edgar Degas: The Last Landscapes explores this little-known aspect of the artist’s oeuvre, with particular focus on a suite of paintings of Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme, a seaside resort in northern France.
Oct. 13 through Jan. 21, 2007, at the Columbus Museum of Art. degaslandscapes.com

Raleigh
MONET IN NORMANDY
Claude Monet spent much of his artistic life in Normandy, creating works that portrayed the area’s towns and villages and their characteristic rhythm. Through a selection of some 60 paintings, Monet and Normandy explores the artist’s relationship with this region. The show pays particular attention to Monet’s depictions of bodies of water—the commercial harbor at Le Havre, scenery along the Seine, the crashing waves of Etretat—and his paintings of man-made monuments such as the Rouen Cathedral.
Oct. 15 through Jan. 14, 2007, at the North Carolina Museum of Art. ncartmuseum.org

Washington, D.C.
JOAN OF ARC
As multifaceted as its subject—peasant girl, military commander, martyr, saint—Joan of Arc brings together more than 200 items ranging from 15th-century arms to sculpture to textiles. The exhibit examines the cultural legacy of the medieval heroine, who for some 500 years has served as a source of inspiration to artists and as a versatile political and religious icon. Highlights include facsimiles of the earliest surviving transcripts of her trials (one of her crimes was dressing as a man) and a series of oil and gold-leaf paintings commissioned by a U.S. senator for his billiard room.
Nov. 18 through Jan. 21, 2007, at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. corcoran.org

Washington, D.C.
CHARPENTIER
Successful in his time but little known today, the medalist and sculptor Alexandre Charpentier was an innovator in the art of bas relief, experimenting with different styles and subjects and working with materials as varied as silver, terra cotta and leather. Active in the Art Nouveau movement, he strove to bridge the gap between the fine and decorative arts and to bring beauty to everyday life. Alexandre-Louis-Marie Charpentier (1856-1909), the first exhibit devoted to the artist since his death, illustrates his versatility through 59 objects ranging from a portrait of writer Emile Zola to a crumb brush.
Through Jan. 28, 2007, at the National Gallery of Art. nga.gov

New York
AMERICANS IN PARIS
In the late 1860s, Paris was the center of the Western art world, drawing students to its prestigious schools and established artists to its international exhibitions. This fall, Americans in Paris, 1860-1900 offers a global view of artistic development in the French capital and looks at how American painters adapted French styles to their own pieces once they returned home.
Oct. 24 through Jan. 28, 2007, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. metmuseum.org

New York
MEDIEVAL SCULPTURE
Set in Stone: The Face in Medieval Sculpture presents more than 80 sculpted heads, some removed from statues during periods of iconoclasm, others created as decorations, portraits or devotional objects. Spanning the 3rd century through the early 1500s, the exhibit examines these objects from a variety of perspectives, from the biblical to the high tech; one section describes a scientific technique used to determine the provenance of pieces long removed from their original contexts. Most of the items come from France, but Germany, Italy, Spain and other countries are also represented.
Through Feb. 18, 2007, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. metmuseum.org

Los Angeles
18TH-CENTURY SILVER
Like his father and grandfather before him, François-Thomas Germain was orfèvre to the French king, supplying the courts of 18th-century Europe with elaborate silver and gold wares until he ran afoul of the guild system and was forced into bankruptcy. Casting Nature: François-Thomas Germain’s Machine d’Argent showcases a formal centerpiece designed to complement a series of hunt- and animal-themed paintings. Seven years in the making, this still life illustrates Germain’s virtuosity at rendering such naturalistic details as a game bird’s feathers. Contemporaneous paintings, drawings and prints provide art historical context.
Through March 25, 2007, at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

New York
STAIRCASE MODELS
Made to Scale: Staircase Masterpieces for the Permanent Collection brings together some two dozen staircase models, mostly from 19th-century France. Including works by apprentice carpenters and master craftsmen alike, the exhibit offers insight into the French guild system, or compagnonnage; through these models, the artisans demonstrated their knowledge of structural design, architectural details and cabinetmaking.
Oct. 13 through June 3, 2007, at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. cooperhewitt.org

Atlanta
LOUVRE TREASURES
The inaugural show of “Louvre Atlanta” (see related article, page 20), Kings as Collectors presents paintings, sculptures and antiquities acquired during the reigns of Louis XIV and XVI. Included will be two of the Louvre’s best-known works: Raphael’s “Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione” and Poussin’s “Et in Arcadia Ego.” A companion exhibit titled The King’s Drawings opens simultaneously.
Oct. 14 through Sept. 2, 2007, and Oct. 14 through Jan. 21, 2007, at the High Museum of Art. high.org