The Washington Diplomat

Events - February 2010

**Admission is free unless otherwise noted. All information on event venues can be found on The Washington Diplomat Web site at www.washdiplomat.com/event locations.html. Times and locations are subject to change. Unless listed, please call venue for specific event times and hours of operation.

ART

Feb. 3 to March 13
In Abandoned Places
D.C. artist Michael Platt is widely recognized for his fusion of digital and conventional photography, drawing and printmaking as a means to explore the human condition, in particular, the history and experiences of African and African Diaspora culture.
International Visions Gallery

Feb. 6 to May 9
Georgia O’Keeffe: Abstraction
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) is widely celebrated for her iconic paintings of flowers, animal bones, and stark New Mexican cliffs, while the radical abstract work she made throughout her career has remained less known. The Phillips Collection examines her art from a fresh perspective with more than 100 works that reveals O’Keeffe as a painter who adopted abstraction as early as 1915, worked extensively with it throughout the 1920s, and used it thereafter as the foundation for her art.
The Phillips Collection

Through Feb. 7
Objects as Subject: Photographs of the Czech Avant-Garde
Nine Czech photographers infuse everyday objects with energy, focusing on bold geometry and the dramatic effects of light and shadow while demonstrating the integral role objects played in the development of modern abstraction.
The Phillips Collection

Through Feb. 12
Emography from Korea
The unique artwork of Huh Hwe-tae, pioneer of the visual art style known as emography, demonstrates the artist’s merger of calligraphy and painting.
KORUS House

Through Feb. 14
Rufino Tamayo and the Mixografía Years (1974-1990): A Cross Border Journey
Nearly 40 signed prints by renowned Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991) represent a cross-section of an innovative and fruitful 20-year collaboration between the artist and master printmakers.
Meridian International Center

Through Feb. 19
Awakened Heart
More than 20 photographs are highlighted from the second photography exhibition organized in 2009 by the Istituto Italo-Latino Americano (IILA) in Rome, presented in the context of PhotoGrafia (Festival Internazionale di Roma e Zoneattive), an annual photo exhibition held in Rome.
Inter-American Development Bank Cultural Center

Through Feb. 21
Artful Animals
This new family-friendly exhibition of artwork presents the animals of Africa in a new light, dispelling myths and stereotypes and highlighting where and why they are represented in community performance, paintings and textiles.
National Museum of African Art

Feb. 28 to May 31
The Sacred Made Real: Spanish Painting and Sculpture, 1600-1700
Arrestingly real sculptures and paintings of the saints, the Immaculate Conception, and the Passion of Christ are among some 20 Spanish masterpieces of the 17th century on view in this landmark exhibition that also reveals the intricate relationship between two-dimensional pictures on canvas and painted sculptures.
National Gallery of Art

Through March 1
Twenty Years in Provence
Paintings from the area around Lacoste in the Luberon where Washington-area painter Maggie Siner has spent much of her time for more than 20 years features subject matter that ranges from the intimate — a handful of cherries — to the monumental — a chateau fort overhanging a small village — offering both beauty and surprises.
The Alliance Française de Washington

Through March 7
Yinka Shonibare MBE
Painting, sculpture and installation, photography and moving images by Nigerian-born artist Yinka Shonibare MBE encompass the last 12 years of Shonibare’s career with a focus on recent works juxtaposed with historical works.
National Museum of African Art

Through March 14
In the Darkroom: Photographic Processes
This exhibition, drawn from the gallery’s permanent collection, chronicles the major technological developments in photographic processes from the origins of the medium until the advent of digital photography.
National Gallery of Art

Through March 19
Roads and Paths: Photographs by Bernhard Fuchs
A sense of quietude and intimacy is revealed in Bernhard Fuchs’s largescale photographs of the landscape around his hometown of Helfenberg, Austria, which he recorded over a period of five years.
Goethe-Institut

Through March 31
Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor
Featuring the largest number of terra cotta figures ever to travel to the U.S. for a single display, this landmark exhibition showcases 15 terra cotta figures from the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, who ruled from 221 B.C. to 210 B.C., along with 100 sets of artifacts from weapons and stone armor to coins and jade ornaments.
National Geographic Museum

Through April 11
Beauty and the Brain: A Neural Approach to Aesthetics
This collaboration between the Walters Art Museum and the Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute at Johns Hopkins is both an experiment and an exhibition that strives to discover why some works of art appeal so strongly to the human mind, based on the idea that artists are essentially neuroscientists searching for new and powerful ways to stimulate perceptual mechanisms in the brain.
The Walters Art Museum

Through April 11
Contemporary Japanese Fashion: The Mary Baskett Collection
In the 1970s and early ’80s, Japanese designers Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto shocked the fashion world by introducing avant-garde styles that challenged Western notions of “chic,” setting the stage for the postmodernist movement in the fashion industry.
The Textile Museum

Through April 11
A Love of Europe: Highlights from the William A. Clark Collection
Ranging from ancient antiquities to impressionist paintings, Sen. William A. Clark’s collection today forms the core of the Corcoran’s holdings of European art (timed to coincide with “Turner to Cezanne”).
Corcoran Gallery of Art

Through April 25
Turner to Cézanne: Masterpieces from the Davies Collection, National Museum Wales
This outstanding group of 19th- and 20th-century paintings and works on paper from the National Museum Wales — an internationally acclaimed collection of impressionist and post-impressionist art — features masterpieces by Paul Cézanne, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, J.M.W. Turner and Vincent van Gogh.
Corcoran Gallery of Art

Through April 30
Vienna Café 1900
This exhibition focuses on the famous literary cafés of Vienna at the turn of the century within the broader context of Viennese café culture and its role in the city’s social life.
Embassy of Austria

Through May 1
Herblock!
“Herblock!”celebrates the birth of political cartoonist Herbert Block with an exhibition featuring 82 original cartoon drawing selected from the Library’s Herb Block collection.
Library of Congress
Thomas Jefferson Building

Through May 2
The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection: Selected Works
Ten themes illuminate specific works across the Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection, as the resulting juxtapositions, often surprising and provocative, provide a new way to tell the story of postwar American art, and of a great collection.
National Gallery of Art

Through May 23
Children at Play in Chinese Painting
Children at play in fragrant gardens or at work in lush fields have been a recurring theme in Chinese art over the past two millennia, as seen here through objects and paintings dating from the first through the 20th century.
Freer Gallery of Art

Through May 25
Extending the Book: The Art of Extra-Illustration
For centuries, booklovers created their own personalized editions of their favorite texts by adding prints, letters and even original artwork. This exhibition includes editions of Shakespeare plays, theatrical biographies, historical works and other volumes that have been “extended” by bibliophiles from various backgrounds from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Folger Shakespeare Library

Through May 30
Sèvres Then And Now: Tradition and Innovation in Porcelain, 1750-2000
The first U.S. exhibit to present the earliest Sèvres pieces alongside the contemporary works of the 20th and 21st centuries, “Sèvres Then And Now” explores how continuous innovation propelled Sèvres to become the pre-eminent porcelain factory.
Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

Through July 4
The African Presence in México: From Yanga to the Present
Through paintings, photos, lithographs and historical texts, this critically acclaimed traveling exhibition highlights the indelible impact that Africans have on Mexican culture and examines the complexity of race, culture, politics and social stratification.
Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum

Through July 31, 2011
From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection
Chester Dale’s bequest to the National Gallery in 1962 included a generous endowment as well as one of America’s most important collections of French painting from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This special exhibition, the first in 45 years to explore the legacy left by this passionate collector, features some 84 of his finest French and American paintings.
National Gallery of Art

Through Aug. 8
Brian Jungen: Strange Comfort
Both monumental and intimate, playful and provocative, the works of Brian Jungen — the acclaimed Vancouver-based artist whose heritage is Swiss-Canadian and Dunne-za First Nations — transform familiar everyday consumer items into exquisite pieces of art.
National Museum of the American Indian

DANCE

Sat., Feb. 6, 11 a.m.
Lesole’s Dance Project
Lesole’s Dance Project showcases three exciting cultural dances from South Africa: Ndlamu dance from Zulu villages, Gumboot dance slapped out on gold miners’ rubber boots, and Pantsula urban dance. Tickets are $7.
Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center

Feb. 9 to 14
Mariinsky Ballet
Russia’s world-renowned Mariinsky Ballet returns to perform Konstantin Sergeyev's 1952 version of the full-length staging of the beloved fairytale ballet “The Sleeping Beauty.” Tickets are $47 to $135.
Kennedy Center Opera House

Feb. 16 to 21
Bolshoi Ballet
The Bolshoi Ballet performs former director Yuri Grigorovich's “Spartacus,” a “cinematically paced adventure yarn,” according to the New York Times. Tickets are $47 to $135.
Kennedy Center Opera House

Feb. 24 to 28
The Great Gatsby
Return to the splendor of the jazz age and the frivolity of the roaring twenties as Septime Webre re-imagines F. Scott Fitzgerald’s passionate, thought-provoking “Great Gatsby,” set to a score composed by early 20th-century music expert Billy Novick. Tickets are $20 to $125.
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

Fri., Feb. 26, 8 p.m.,
Sat., Feb. 27, 8 p.m.
The Israel Ballet
The Israel Ballet, comprised of 35 dancers from all over the world, performs “Don Quixote” as well as “Triple Bill,” a compilation of classical works. Tickets are $40 for Friday or $100 for Saturday (including pre- and post-concert receptions).
Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center

DISCUSSIONS

Fri., Feb. 5, 6:30 p.m.
Trans-Atlantic Cooperation in the Fight against Terrorism
Terrorism expert and judge Jean-Louis Bruguière discusses the modern means of communication used by terrorist networks and the new U.S. administration’s rejection of the concept of the “war on terror” and hwo it should facilitate the trans-Atlantic partnership at a time when new terrorist threats are on the horizon. The lecture is followed by a screening of “L’Etoile du Soldat (Star of the Soldier).” Tickets are $30. For information, visit www.francedc.org.
Letelier Theater

Fri., Feb. 5, 6:45 p.m.
The Art of Fragrance with Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez
Despite the millions of marketing dollars poured in, the beauty of a fragrance can’s be predicted by cost, degree of nudity in ads, or appeal to nostalgia: It all still relies upon the perfumer’s difficult art. TThishe lecture, scented with examples, delves into the enjoyment of fragrance, the chemical discoveries that made modern perfumery possible, and the enduring mystery of how our noses figure it all out. Tickets are $40. For information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
La Maison Française

Sat., Feb. 6, 10 a.m.
Perfumes: An Exquisite Exploration with Patricia de Nicolaï, Tania Sanchez and Luca Turin
This cultural and practical primer on fragrance will allow participants to smell masterworks of perfumery that have been unavailable for decades, as well as new scents. The rare collection comes from Versailles’ Osmotheque, the International Conservatory of Perfumes, just for this event. Tickets are $150. For information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
La Maison Française

Sat., Feb. 6,10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Greek Islands: Birthplace of Western Civilization
This illustrated daylong seminar explores the fascinating legacy of the Greek islands — volcanic home of ancient gods and goddesses, point of origin for the earliest elements of free commerce, and birthplace of the founding fathers of musical, medical and mathematical theory. Tickets are $120. For information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
S. Dillon Ripley Center

Wed., Feb. 10, 6:45 p.m.
Blitzkrieg
In 1939, the armies of Nazi Germany invaded Poland and revealed a stunning new approach to modern warfare. In this detailed look at blitzkrieg, or lightning war, Marcus Jones explores its origins, considers its successes and implications, and dispels myths that have arisen about the concept in the postwar period. For information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
S. Dillon Ripley Center

Thu., Feb. 11, 6:45 p.m.
Standing Guard: The Terra-Cotta Warriors
George Mason’s Robert DeCaroli explores Qin Shi Huangdi, the third-century B.C. leader who founded an empire and whose ideas about governance, religion and authority brought him to the heights of power but also sowed the seeds of his downfall. Tickets are $40. For information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
S. Dillon Ripley Center

Wed., Feb. 24, 6:45 p.m.
An Evening at the Musee D’Orsay
In this illustrated evening lecture, art historian Linda Skalet discusses the Musee d’Orsay’s highlights and some of its lesser-known treasures. Tickets are $40. For information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
S. Dillon Ripley Center

Thu., Feb. 25, 6:30 p.m.
The Bounty of the Nile
You are invited by Suzy Shoukry, wife of Egyptian Ambassador Sameh Shoukry, to sample Egyptian hospitality at the embassy residence, where historian Amy Riolo offers a virtual culinary tour that demonstrates how Egyptian history, folkloric styles and religious beliefs have converged to create one of the world’s most multifaceted cuisines. A traditional Egyptian buffet follows prepared by embassy chef Mamdouh Farag, who has worked with the Shoukry family for more than a decade. Tickets are $100. For information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
Egyptian Embassy Residence

Fri., Feb. 26, 6:30 p.m.
Cognac Tasting
Guillaume Lamy, director of Education for Cognac Ferrand, conducts this exclusive tasting of Pierre Ferrand cognac, part of a new category in the cognac industry: estate cognacs, which are bottled at the property where the grapes are grown and are smoother, more complex, refined and elegant. Tickets are $50.
The Alliance Française de Washington

Sat., Feb. 27, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Topkapi: Palace of the Sultans
Imagine what the Ottoman sultans’ lives were like behind the massive gates of Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace, a city within a city, with dozens of buildings whose walls are sheathed in patterns of intricately patterned tiles, surrounded by lavish gardens and pools. Tickets are $120. For information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
Location indicated on ticket

FESTIVALS & RECEPTIONS

Feb. 5 to 23
10th Annual Flamenco Festival, Washington DC
In five performances over the course of three weeks, Flamenco Festival USA and the George Washington University showcase the best of flamenco music and dance, direct from Spain. Performances include Comañíia María Pagés of Seville as well as Marina Heredia and the Arab-Andalusian Chekara Orchestra of Tetouan. Tickets are $35 to $65. For information, visit www.lisner.org.
Lisner Auditorim

Feb. 12 and 13
Interpreting Liszt
This festival organized by Georgetown University and Post-Classical Ensemble explores new perspectives on Romantic art and the Romantic artistic personality with free daytime conference events in the university’s McNeir Hall and ticketed evening concerts in Gaston Hall. Evening performances include “Liszt and Italy” on Friday and “Angels and Devils” on Saturday. Tickets are $25. For information, visit http://performingarts.georgetown.edu.
Georgetown University

Sat., Feb. 13, 8 p.m.
La Saint-Valentin
The French Embassy and French-American Cultural Foundation invite you to this amorous soirée of passion, dance and romance. Sip champagne and French spirits from the open bar, indulge in a Parisian-style buffet and savor sumptuous patisseries, and participate in a silent auction of one-of-a-kind items ranging from moderate to luxurious. Tickets are $75. For information, visit www.la-maison-francaise.org.
La Maison Française

MUSIC

Tue., Feb. 2, 7:30 p.m.
The Capuçon-Angelich Trio
Performing with the utmost authority, the Capuçon-Angelich Trio’s program includes works by Beethoven, Shostakovich and Brahms in a special evening for any classical music lover. Tickets are $20.
La Maison Française

Fri., Feb. 5, 8 p.m.
Hiromi
Japanese jazz piano sensation Hiromi shows off the phenomenal improvisational skills and funky energy in her new solo album. Tickets are $25.
Wolf Trap

Sat., Feb. 6, 8 p.m.
Two Guitars, One Journey
Guitarists Berta Rojas and Quique Sinesi draw on their folklore Latin roots to pay tribute to their respective nations, Paraguay and Argentina. Tickets are $32.
Georgetown Dumbarton Church

Sun., Feb. 7, 6:30 p.m.
Till Fellner, Piano
Viennese pianist Till Fellner plays all Beethoven piano sonatas in a cycle that will span seven concerts during two seasons in Washington, D.C., New York, Tokyo, London, Paris, Vienna and other cities.
National Gallery of Art

Tue., Feb. 9, 7:30 p.m.
Jane Birkin in Concert
With a career that includes more than 17 albums, countless films and a strong dedication to human rights, Jane Birkin’s sultry voice and allure have mesmerized audiences for more than 40 years. Now, the iconic Birkin visits the French Embassy for this rare and intimate performance. Tickets are $30.
La Maison Française

Fri., Feb. 12, 8 p.m.
Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet
The Chicago Tribune praises the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet — here performing wind quintets by Schuller, Hindemith and Ligeti — for its “pure-toned instrumental textures” and “sterling musicianship.” Tickets are $35.
Wolf Trap

Sat., Feb. 13, 8 p.m.
Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra
For more than 30 years, the Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra has toured the globe, broadcasting the expansive symphonic repertoire of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries in Russia. Tickets are $28, $48 or $56.
George Mason University Center for the Arts

Mon., Feb. 15, 8 p.m.
WPAS: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam
Named “the world's greatest orchestra” by Gramophone Magazine, the Concertgebouw under Mariss Jansons has garnered critical praise for decades. Tickets are $35 to $115.
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

Wed., Feb. 24, 8 p.m.
Cherish the Ladies
Join Ireland’s renowned all-female Celtic ensemble for a night of traditional music, beautiful singing and impressive step dancing. Tickets are $25.
Wolf Trap

Fri., Feb. 26, 8 p.m.
Christian Tetzlaff Trio
Violinist Christian Tetzlaff brings his technical assurance and compelling interpretations to this repertoire of Schubert and Shostakovich. Tickets are $35.
Wolf Trap

Sat., Feb. 27, 8 p.m.
Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy
Husband-and-wife team Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy are two of the world’s most celebrated fiddlers who dazzle with their stunning matrimony of Celtic music and movement. Tickets are $22, $36 or $44.
George Mason University Center for the Arts

Sun., Feb. 28, 8 p.m.
WPAS: Masters of Persian Music
Following its sold-out appearance in 2005, this edition of “Masters of Persian Music” features two of the most important figures in Persian classical music touring with the next generation of musical masters: Kayhan Kalhor on kamancheh and Hossein Alizadeh on tar are joined by remarkable young vocalist Hamid Reza Nourbakhsh, leading disciple of the renowned Mohammad Reza Shajarian, on his first North American tour. Tickets are $25 to $65.
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

THEATER

Feb. 2 to April 11
Richard II
King Richard neglects his subjects and spends lavishly, giving rise to his charismatic cousin Henry Bolingbroke. Will Richard learn what it means to be a king before he loses the crown? Call for ticket information (plays in repertory with “Henry V”).
The Shakespeare Theatre

Feb. 4 to April 10
Henry V
Young and brash King Henry V of England takes his nation to war with France, but as he experiences the true costs of war firsthand, Henry discovers that the challenges of leadership are greater than he ever imagined. Call for ticket information (plays in repertory with “Richard II”).
The Shakespeare Theatre

Feb. 4 to 28
Beauty of the Father
An estranged daughter reunites with her father, a painter in Granada, only to fall in love with his 20 year-old Moroccan houseboy and sometime-lover. The presence of the ghost of poet Federico García Lorca, who becomes the painter’s conscience, adds a sense of magic to this play about impossible love, infidelity and sacrifice. Call for ticket information.
GALA Hispanic Theatre

Through Feb. 7
The Last Cargo Cult
Monologist Mike Daisey has traveled to a tiny South Pacific island where the people worship America through the cargo left behind by American GIs. Part adventure story and part memoir, their religion is explored alongside our own to form a searing examination of the international financial crisis. Tickets are $25 or $30.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Through Feb. 7
Stick Fly
Race and privilege intersect in this thought-provoking and lively modern family comedy that astutely examines African American social aristocracy. Tickets are $47 to $74.
Arena Stage – Crystal City

Feb. 9 to April 4
Sweeney Todd
Stephen Sondheim’s musical masterpiece is also a classic horror story full of obsession and revenge, gothic gore, lush songs, and romantic melodrama — bloody yet mesmerizing. Tickets are $52 to $76.
Signature Theatre

Through Feb. 14
In the Red and Brown Water
This coming-of-age tale from the Louisiana projects follows a young female runner with great promise and the devastating choices she is forced to make. Tickets are $49 to $63.
The Studio Theatre

Through Feb. 14
The Rivalry
Over the course of seven debates, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas tackled the hot topics of their day: state’s rights, slavery and the intent of the Constitution. “The Rivalry” captures the fiery rhetoric and wry humor of those debates, while adding the insights of Douglas’s wife, Adele. Tickets are $10 to $55.
Ford’s Theatre

Through Feb. 21
The Four of Us
When Ben’s first novel vaults him into literary stardom, his best friend David, a struggling playwright, is thrilled for his newfound success...or is he? Tickets are $30 to $55.
Washington DCJCC

Through Feb. 21
Permanent Collection
With its extraordinary collection of works by Cézanne and Matisse, eccentric millionaire Alfred Morris’ art museum has long flourished in quiet obscurity. But when its new African-American director discovers eight remarkable African sculptures he wants to make public, he clashes with the foundation’s longtime education director. Tickets are $25 to $60.
Round House Theatre – Bethesda

Fri., Feb. 26, 8 p.m.,
Sun., Feb. 28, 2 p.m.
Virginia Opera: Don Giovanni
Mozart’s classic dramatic comedy about the world’s greatest lover of all time comes to life into riveting production by the Virginia Opera. Tickets are $44 to $98.
George Mason University Center for the Arts

Through Feb. 28
Antony and Cleopatra
Synetic Theater explores one of Shakespeare’s last great tragedies with their haunting “art of silence,” using a thrilling blend of music, movement and dance to lay bare the heart of this doomed and legendary affair. Tickets are $40 to $55.
Shakespeare Theatre Lansburgh Theatre

Through March 7
Orestes, A Tragic Romp
The war is over, Agamemnon and Clytemnestra murdered, and Orestes and Electra await the judgment of the citizens and the gods, as Euripides’s gripping drama is deftly re-imagined by playwright Anne Washburn in this razor-sharp modern adaptation. Tickets are $39 to $60.
Folger Shakespeare Library