Ralph Steadman at AU Museum
Ralph Steadman, "Twentieth Century Man,” 1988. Pen and ink on paper, 23.23 x 33.07 inches. Courtesy of the Ralph Steadman Art Collection

Ralph Steadman: And Another Thing at American University Museum opened Sept. 7 

It’s somewhat rare for “commercial” artists and designers to get the gallery treatment, but the AU Museum is featuring illustrator Ralph Steadman for a second time after showing a retrospective of his work in 2018. The artist is 88 years old and still cranking out cartoons, portraits, book covers, and artwork for Flying Dog beer labels, and this show flits between his early work and sketches all the way to newly created and previously unseen pieces. From classics like illustrations done for Hunter S. Thompson to his more recent series depicting extinct birds, Steadman’s art shows a mind that is fascinating to explore. The exhibit opens on Sept. 7 at the  American University Museum, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Free.

NMWA Nights at the National Museum of Women in the Arts on Sept. 18, Oct. 16, and Nov. 20 

There’s nothing more thrilling to me than an after-hours museum event—they indulge the childhood fantasies I developed from reading From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, while also serving a speakeasy-esque element of drinking somewhere you’re normally not supposed to. Nobody does this better than NMWA Nights, where almost every section of the museum is open for different activities and there’s always a craft option. Sure, you can prowl the galleries while enjoying libations, but on any given NWMA night you might also get a drag king showcase, a night market, a scavenger hunt, or a pop-up featuring books about Black art. The first NMWA Night starts at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 18 National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. $20–$25.

Pictures of Belonging at the American Art Museum opens Nov. 15

Miki Hayakawa, “One Afternoon, ca.” 1935, oil on canvas, 40 x 40 in., New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, Gift of Preston McCrossen in memory of his wife, the artist, 1954, 520.23P

Some of the Smithsonian’s best exhibits draw upon their vast archives and pull out lesser known names. Three Japanese American artists make up Pictures of Belonging; they all had vibrant art careers, and they were each affected by World War II and the internment of Japanese Americans (Miné Okubo and Hisako Hibi were both held in an internment camp, where they founded an art school, while Miki Hayakawa’s family was interned). Pictures of Belonging is an opportunity to introduce these luminaries to a new audience and reaffirm their place in the canon. The exhibit opens Nov. 15 and runs through Aug. 17 at SAAM, G and 8th Streets NW. Free.

Art and Graphic Design of the European Avant Gardes at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center opens Oct. 23

The inaugural exhibit at the brand-new Irene and Richard Frary Gallery pulls extensively from the namesakes’ collection and offers a thesis statement for the gallery: that of fostering international dialogue and exploring where art and democracy meet. The years the show covers, 1910 to 1941, sprouted multiple distinct art movements and contained huge political upheaval. The upending of visual conventions through movements like Dadaism, Surrealism, and Constructivism is a key focus, along with the mass communication via books and posters that allowed those ideas to proliferate. The exhibit opens Oct. 23 and runs through Feb. 21 at the Frary Gallery, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Free.

Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Always to Return at the National Portrait Gallery opens Oct. 18

“Untitled” (Portrait of Ross in L.A.), 1991. Candies in variously colored wrappers, endless supply. Overall dimensions vary with installation. Ideal weight: 175 lb. © Estate Felix Gonzalez-Torres Courtesy Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation

It’s been more than a decade since the conceptual sculptor was last shown in D.C., but his footprint will be especially felt when Always to Return opens at the National Portrait Gallery. Gonzalez-Torres is especially beloved for his “portraits” that do not depict their subject in a traditional sense, but rather are composed of objects—mint candies—that equal their weight, so it’s fitting for his work to be housed alongside the hall of Presidents and other traditional portraiture representations. His work will literally burst out of the museum itself with “Untitled (America),” a string light installation that will hang on the building’s facade and extend to the MLK Library and along 8th Street NW. The exhibit opens Oct. 18 and runs through July 6 at both the Portrait Gallery and and the Archives of American Art, 8th and G Streets NW. Free.

Check out more of our 2024 Fall Arts Guide here.