NOTA BENE
As a teenager, the French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002) was dismissed from school for taking red paint to the fig leaves on campus statues. Humor, forthright sexuality and love of color would later become hallmarks of her work, not least in her “Nana” (“Chick”) series, begun in 1964. Zaftig yet nimble-looking, these exuberant explorations of female archetypes herald “a new matriarchal age.” “Nana on a Dolphin” (1998) is one of four Saint Phalle sculptures enlivening downtown Washington, DC, during the first phase of the National Museum of Women in the Arts’ New York Avenue Sculpture Project (through Oct.; nmwa.org). Interest piqued? Head to Charlotte’s Bechtler Museum of Modern Art for “NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE: CREATION OF A NEW MYTHOLOGY,” which spans the artist’s career through 60 works ranging from etchings to motorized paintings to several more monumental outdoor sculptures (through Oct. 3; bechtler.org).

Phoenix
THÉÂTRE DE LA MODE
In 1945, Paris witnessed the opening of an exhibition of some 200 27-inch-high dolls clad in stylish attire and posed in elaborate sets. Conceived to revitalize France’s war-battered fashion industry, “Théâtre de la Mode” represented the combined efforts not only of Lanvin, Balmain and other leading couturiers of the day but also milliners, hairdressers, jewelers and theater designers. After enjoying a successful tour of Europe, the show traveled to the U.S. in 1946. Théâtre de la Mode showcases three of the nine original scenes. Through July 31 at the Phoenix Art Museum; phxart.org.

Los Angeles
MEDIEVAL TOMB SCULPTURES
Twenty-five years in the making, the tomb of John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, and his wife, Margaret of Bavaria, is one of the prize pieces of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon. Surrounding the base of this lavish work of funerary art are 40 16-inch-high mourners sculpted in alabaster, each one a unique and poignant expression of grief. These statuettes have advanced from supporting to starring role as the subject of The Mourners: Tomb Sculptures from the Court of Burgundy, currently on a two-year tour of the United States. Through July 31 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; lacma.org.

Kansas City, MO
MONET’S WATER LILIES
Monet’s Water Lilies reunites for the first time in 30 years all three panels of the 42-foot-wide “Agapanthus Triptych,” painted between 1915 and 1926, the year the artist died. During this late period, Monet devoted himself to capturing the beauty of his garden in Giverny, whose importance to his work is underscored through archival photographs and a 1915 film clip of the master in action. Using X-ray imaging and other techniques, conservators discovered that the artist—in spite of his reputation for spontaneity—reworked the piece many times over the years. Through Aug. 7 at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art; nelson-atkins.org.

Los Angeles
PARIS: LIFE & LUXURY
Through objects associated with dressing, letter-writing, dining, game-playing and other quotidian activities, Paris: Life & Luxury invites museum-goers to experience a day in the domestic life of a privileged 18th-century denizen of the French capital. This ingenious fly-on-the-wall show displays some 160 objects of consummate artistry and craftsmanship, from paintings and sculptures to garments, furniture and musical instruments. Through Aug. 7 at the Getty; getty.edu.

The Whore of Babylon Dresses the Part,” by Loyset Liédet and his workshop (c. 1470) is a highlight of “Illuminating Fashion.” Photo: The Morgan Library & Museum, NYC

New York
ILLUMINATING FASHION
For the initiated, the intricate paintings adorning illuminated manuscripts offer layers of meaning—religious, political, historical and, as Illuminating Fashion: Dress in the Art of Medieval France and the Netherlands reveals, sartorial. Through a broad selection of manuscripts and early books from 1330 to about 1515, the show explores not only how Northern European garments evolved as a result of advances in tailoring, contact with Italian culture and other influences, but also how illustrators used them to convey information about their wearers. Complementing the manuscripts are four full-scale replicas of outfits depicted in their pages, hand-sewn using period techniques. Through Sept. 4 at The Morgan Library & Museum; themorgan.org.

San Francisco
THE STEINS COLLECT
By buying groundbreaking works of art, befriending their creators and welcoming people into their homes to see and discuss them, Gertrude Stein and others in her family advanced Modernism both in their adopted home of Paris and abroad. Drawn from private and public holdings around the globe, The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant-Garde brings together some 200 masterworks once owned by these influential art patrons, as well as family photographs, correspondence and other archival materials. Through Sept. 6 at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; sfmoma.org.

New York
TURQUERIE
Turkish Taste at the Court of Marie-Antoinette is a dossier exhibit focusing on turquerie, 18th-century French aristocrats’ infatuation with all things Ottoman. Apparently ushered in by the 1776 performance in Paris of Sebastien-Roch Chamford’s tragedy Mustapha and Zeangir, the trend spawned everything from Turkish robes, tobacco and candy to the more full-on commitment of equipping one’s home with a boudoir turc. The show features rare—and rarely displayed—objects from these rooms, whose Thousand and One Nights take on the Ottoman Empire means decorative motifs such as camels, Nubian slaves and palm trees. Through Sept. 11 at The Frick Collection; frick.org.

New York
THE CONE SISTERS
Collecting Matisse and Modern Masters: The Cone Sisters of Baltimore explores how two unlikely avant-gardists built a now celebrated collection of French art by following their own instincts rather than listening to the critics of the day. Beneficiaries of their family’s thriving textile business, Dr. Claribel Cone (a pathologist) and her sister Etta traveled frequently to Europe, where Gertrude and Leo Stein introduced them to numerous artists, most notably Matisse; they would eventually amass 500 of his works, the largest such trove in the world. Through Sept. 25 at The Jewish Museum; thejewishmuseum.org.

Williamstown, MA
PISSARO
Camille Pissarro’s importance to the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements resides not only in his own art but also in his role as a mentor to such younger colleagues as Cézanne and Gauguin. Drawing on new research, Pissarro’s People is the first major exhibition to focus on the artist’s fascination with his fellow man, illustrated by some 100 paintings and works on paper from throughout his career. The show sheds light on these pieces by examining the artist’s ties with friends and family as well as his engagement with contemporary social, economic and political ideas. Through Oct. 2 at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute; clarkart.edu.

Montreal
JEAN PAUL GAULTIER
Whether showcasing men’s skirts or sending plus-size and other atypical models down the runway, Jean Paul Gaultier has consistently embraced an irreverent and fun-loving aesthetic that celebrates individuality. The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk marks the 35th anniversary of his first prêt-à-porter collection with a retrospective of his work. Emphasizing haute couture, the show presents 120 outfits, most never before exhibited. A wide assortment of other materials—from sketches to film clips to stage costumes—highlights the designer’s fondness for collaborating with fellow artists as varied as Pedro Almodóvar, Maurice Béjart and of course Madonna. Through Oct. 2 at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; mbam.qc.ca.

San Francisco
PICASSO’S PICASSOS
Closed for renovations until 2012, the Musée National Picasso in Paris is home to the world’s largest trove of the artist’s work; pieces from his personal collection form the core of its holdings. American audiences now have an unprecedented opportunity to view some 150 of the museum’s most prized paintings, sculptures and works on paper. Covering eight decades, Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris surveys the prolific and ever-innovative artist’s career, with prime examples from every major period—Blue, Rose, Cubist and Surrealist, to name but a few. Through Oct. 9 at the de Young Museum; famsf.org.

Franz Bischoff’s “Gold Rimmed Rocks and Sea” (c. 1925) is featured in the Crocker Art Museum’s “Summer of Impressionism.” Collection of Paul and Kathleen Bagley

Sacramento
SUMMER OF IMPRESSIONISM
The Crocker Art Museum’s Summer of Impressionism unfolds in a trio of exhibitions highlighting the movement’s influence on American artists. “Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism” (through Sept. 18) presents 40 paintings by Courbet, Monet, Sisley and other French masters, as well as such notable American adherents as Sargent, while “Transcending Vision: American Impressionism, 1870-1940” (through Sept. 25) delves deeper into the ways in which U.S. artists made the movement their own; Childe Hassam, George Inness and George Bellows are among the 75 artists represented. Further narrowing the focus, “Gardens and Grandeur: Porcelains and Paintings by Franz A. Bischoff” (through Oct. 23) displays works by the Austrian-born artist (1864-1929), who was trained as a china painter but later became known for depicting the landscape of his adopted California. crockerartmuseum.org

Charlotte
CHANEL
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s pioneering designs were not only distinctive but also functional: handbags with shoulder straps freed up women’s hands, while garments in knit jersey, a fabric previously associated with men’s undergarments, offered comfort and ease of movement to the once corset-clad. Chanel herself continued working until her death in 1971, at the age of 88, and the fashion house that bears her name has enjoyed enduring success under Karl Lagerfeld, who took over as artistic director in 1983. Chanel: Designs for the Modern Woman brings together suits, evening wear and accessories dating from the 1920s to today. Through Dec. 31 at the Mint Museum Randolph; mintmuseum.org.

Boston
BRESDIN AND REDON
Two Masters of Fantasy: Bresdin and Redon presents works on paper by a pair of artists who depicted worlds observable only by the mind’s eye. Invariably described as “eccentric,” draftsman and printmaker Rodolphe Bresdin (1840-1885) began his career creating engravings the size of postage stamps; his highly detailed renderings of eerily fantastic, often macabre scenes would later earn him the admiration of such contemporaries as Charles Baudelaire and Théophile Gautier. His better-known pupil, Symbolist Odilon Redon (1840-1916), was particularly intrigued by the world of dreams. Although a gifted colorist, he spent decades working in black and white, notably producing the dark and unsettling drawings he termed les noirs. Through Jan. 16 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; mfa.org.