Per Kirkeby airs out the abstract
![Per Kirkeby airs out the abstract](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121206114206im_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/sites/twpweb/img/blogs/spacer.gif)
The artist’s drypoints, etchings and aquatints are lighter than earlier shows, even in mostly black.
The Civil War aesthetic
![The Civil War aesthetic](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121206114206im_/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_90x60/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/11/07/Style/Images/Homer_TheBrightSide.jpg)
Rather than focusing on battle scenes, a Smithsonian American Art Museum exhibit examines the effect on artists and their work.
Innocence lost in ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ show
![Innocence lost in ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ show](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121206114206im_/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_90x60/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/11/21/Style/Images/Hunter_2012_Dead_Canary4_edited-2.jpg)
U.K. artists join children as subjects with allusions to orphanages and the Holocaust at Connersmith.
Young music-theater pros find footing onstage in new WNO program
![Young music-theater pros find footing onstage in new WNO program](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121206114206im_/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_90x60/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/11/20/Style/Images/American%20Opera%20Initiative%20--%20Part%20of%20the%20Act%20%201.jpg)
First graduates of American Opera Initiative’ stage three new one-act works at Kennedy Center
Son disapproves of Dwight D. Eisenhower memorial design
![Son disapproves of Dwight D. Eisenhower memorial design](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121206114206im_/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_90x60/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/11/20/Style/Images/2012-11-07T005202Z_01_NGH08_RTRIDSP_3_USA-CAMPAIGN-8299.jpg)
A letter from Dwight D. Eisenhower’s son suggests proposed memorial design is “too extravagant.”
Fall Museum Guide 2012: A season of plenty
Exciting exhibits, big changes, and long-awaited renovations.
Museum news
Special reports
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121206114206im_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/sites/twpweb/img/blogs/spacer.gif)
Fall arts preview 2012
Fall into theaters, museums, concert halls and more with our critics’ recommendations for the best autumn arts events for 2012.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121206114206im_/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_172x114/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/04/06/Others/Images/2012-04-06/FLADISCOVRY003_1333726081.jpg)
Discovery’s last flight sends it to Smithsonian
The workhorse of the space shuttle fleet gets a prime location at the museum.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121206114206im_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/sites/twpweb/img/blogs/spacer.gif)
Crystal Bridges: A world-class museum from the land of Wal-Mart
An American art museum in Arkansas has ruffled feathers, challenged stereotypes and raised expectations as this country’s newest major cultural institution.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121206114206im_/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_172x114/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2011/09/30/Web-Resampled/2011-09-30/Select%20Rubell%20NW8L8629%20JSP_1316801880--172x114.jpg)
Remaking D.C., and its art scene
Art patrons Mera and Donald Rubell helped transform parts of Miami. Now the couple aims to do the same in Southwest Washington.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121206114206im_/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_172x114/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2011/09/27/Style/Images/JB_Cell_2.jpg)
How to visit a museum without going
Experts agree that museums are inexorably moving into the brave new virtual world.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121206114206im_/http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_172x114/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2011/08/21/Style/Images/MLK%2098_1313946540.jpg)
Stuck between conceptual and literal
REVIEW | New memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. turns out to be a relatively modest affair.
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