The Uffizi Gallery

An Unrivaled Collection

Located in the heart of Florence, the Uffizi Gallery has long been regarded as one of the most important museum collections in the world. Not only was it one of the first in Europe to emerge in accordance with the modern idea of a museum, but it is also unsurpassed in the quality of works it contains, boasting some of the greatest masterpieces of the Florentine Renaissance.

Join art historian Elaine Ruffolo as she discusses the history and aspects of the gallery—including the patronage of the Medici family, the innovative architecture of Vasari, and, of course, an in-depth examination of the best of the remarkable painting collection.

Fri., April 14 and 28, 12–1:15 p.m.; CODE 1D0-010; Members $35; Nonmembers $40

Write Into Art Creative Writing Inspired by Visual Art

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for three online workshops that explore essential elements of writing and styles through close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative response to prompts.

The sessions spotlight a diverse range of visual art chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels to deepen their process and practice. Each workshop has a limited enrollment to maximize interaction among the instructor and students.

APR 18 Capture Sensation

APR 25 Unveil Stories

MAY 2 Explore Place

3 sessions: Tues., April 18, 25, and May 2, 10–11:30 a.m.; CODE 1K0-352; Members $105; Nonmembers $115

Individual sessions: Tues., April 18 (CODE 1K0-353); Tues., April 25 (CODE 1K0-354); Tues., May 2 (CODE 1K0-355); 10-11:30 a.m.; Members $40; Nonmembers $45

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

Three Masterpieces of Etruscan Art

The Etruscans hold a reputation for mystery, but we do know a lot about them and their remarkable contributions to the history of art. Art historian and author Laura Morelli explores what makes Etruscan culture unique in the Mediterranean world.

She spotlights three Etruscan masterworks excavated from tombs in central Italy; examines how the Etruscans adorned the places where they planned to spend eternity; and describes the incredible luxury objects they took with them. She discusses the hallmarks of Etruscan visual art and why Etruscan archaeology is a vibrant field of study today.

Tues., April 18, 12–1:15 p.m.; CODE 1H0-763; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit Cultural Heritage Sites of India

From India’s elaborately decorated Ajanta Caves to the splendor of the Taj Mahal, UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites offers a spectacular window into South Asia’s past. Art historian Robert DeCaroli highlights historic palaces, grand temples, royal mausoleums, and more that showcase how India’s rich religious traditions have inspired the creation of many of the subcontinent’s abundant historically and culturally significant destinations.

9:30 a.m. Rock-cut Wonders

11 a.m. Sacred Sites (Part 1)

12:30 p.m. Break

1:30 p.m. Sacred Sites (Part 2)

2:45 p.m. Seats of Power

Sat., April 22, 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m.; CODE 1J0-252; Members $80; Nonmembers $90

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit Isabella Stewart Gardner: A Global Vision of Art

Isabella Stewart Gardner (1840–1924) assembled an extraordinary collection of art from diverse cultures and eras—and built a Venetian-style palazzo in Boston to share her exquisite treasures with the world. Diana Seave Greenwald, assistant curator of the collection at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, shines new light on Gardner. As one of the authors of Isabella Stewart Gardner: A Life, Greenwald provides a multifaceted portrait of a trailblazing patron who used her varied collection, including Italian Renaissance paintings and Chinese antiquities, to create a museum unprecedented in its curatorial vision.

Tues., April 25, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1L0-510; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit 20th-Century Oceanic Art

Ten thousand islands dot the Pacific Ocean, a vast expanse of water that covers one-third of the Earth’s surface. For over 40,000 years, people have lived and traveled among these islands, establishing thriving and interconnected states and societies, and creating artworks that express the excitement and vitality of their lives.

Art historian Kevin Tervala surveys the artistic practice across 20th-century Oceania, examining the ways that European colonization and decolonization, the Pacific theater of World War II, and the increasingly globalized nature of the economy transformed the work that artists did and the forms that they produced.

Tues., April 25, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1D0-012; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

What time does the program end? Unless noted, Smithsonian Associates programs run 1 hour 15 min.–2 hours, including Q&A

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

Kandinsky: Abstraction’s Architect

Art historian Joseph Cassar explores Russian-born Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944), a leading figure in the development of abstract painting. His illustrated lecture begins with Kandinsky’s initial years as a lecturer in law at the University of Moscow and proceeds with his friendship with artist Gabriele Munter and their travels to Tunisia. Cassar offers a special focus on works Kandinsky produced in the pre-World War I Murnau period and as part of the avant-garde Blaue Reiter group. He connects Kandinsky’s publications with his teaching years at the Bauhaus in Weimar and Dessau and provides a critical analysis of Kandinsky’s abstract paintings and his final years in Paris during the 1930s and ’40s.

Tues., May 9, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1K0-363; Members $30; Nonmembers $35

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

Byrdcliffe: An American Arts and Crafts Colony

Founded in 1903, the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony was born out of the late 19th century’s Arts and Crafts movement and a passion for building a utopian community with like-minded writers, poets, painters, and craftspeople.

Overlooking the scenic Catskills in Woodstock, New York, the colony was an idealistic venture founded by Ralph and Jane Byrd McCall Whitehead and two friends, Bolton Brown and Hervey White. Offering a place where artists could train and acquire practical skills, the colony was intended to be self-sufficient through the sale of furniture, ceramics, and weavings.

Curator and author Nancy Green explores how Byrdcliffe began as a community of talented artists and artisans, students and teachers, and their commitment to the goals of joy and fulfillment in their labors and an appreciation of a simple aesthetic harnessed to a simple lifestyle.

Wed., May 10, 7 p.m.; CODE 1CV-014; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Lesser-Known Museums of Rome

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

Private Art Collections of Rome, Part 1

A number of Rome’s greatest art treasures are displayed in the private collections of historically influential Roman families. Not surprisingly, some of these families produced popes such as Innocent X (Pamphilj), Urban VIII (Barberini), and Martin V (Colonna). Fortunately, a number of these art collections are now museums open to the public.

Renaissance art expert Ruggiero explores four of these private collections—the Doria Pamphilj Gallery, the Barberini Palace Museum, the Villa Farnesina, and the Colonna Palace—and explains how the artworks they held helped shape the Italian Renaissance.

Mon., May 1, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1J0-258; Members $30; Nonmembers $35

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

Becoming Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright is one of the most celebrated architects of the 20th century. Despite a prolific career spanning seven decades studded with glittering accomplishments and triumphs, his personal and professional life was plagued with tragedy, scandal, divorce, murder, and financial setbacks. Bill Keene, a lecturer in urban studies and architecture, looks beyond the buildings to the man with the pencil, triangle, and T-square to shed light on the story of the master himself.

Keene traces Wright’s formative years, the marriages and the mistresses, and the cumulative negative impact on his career that branded him a has-been by 1930. But by the end of the decade, he reemerged triumphant, and the period until his death in 1959 was the busiest in his long career. Keene analyzes the reasons for his comeback and its impact on his legacy, which continues to grow as Frank Lloyd Wright became a brand associated with everything from toys and games to furniture, pop music (remember Paul Simon’s So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright?), and even an opera. Wed., May 10, 12–1:30 p.m.; CODE 1NV-035; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit

Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo: Contrasts in Greatness

Leonardo and Michelangelo: These towering geniuses grew up in the same city, shared patrons, and also shared an intense dislike for each other. But their fraught relationship was fueled by a secret mutual fascination and a fierce competition that spurred them to new levels of artistic achievement.

Art historian Nigel McGilchrist depicts the two artists as perfectionists and brilliant craftsmen of radically different kinds who revolutionized the received methods of painting and sculpting.

10 a.m. The Consequences of Competition

11:30 a.m. Techniques and Conservation

12:45 p.m. Break

1:15 p.m. Obsessions and Recurring Themes

2:45 p.m. Writings, Dreams, and Nightmares

Sat., May 13, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; CODE 1M2-260; Members $80; Nonmembers $90

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

Art and Beauty in Siena

Siena’s beautiful townscape encapsulates everything we love about Tuscany—charming towns among rolling hills, rich history, and artistic and architectural treasures from its medieval heyday—rivaled only by its Tuscan neighbors, Florence and Pisa.

Art historian and author Laura Morelli leads an immersive virtual tour of Siena’s most iconic landmarks: the Gothic cathedral, Siena’s city hall or Palazzo Pubblico, and the unusually shaped town square, the Piazza del Campo. She also examines masterpieces by Siena’s most enduring artists: Duccio, Simone Martini, and the Lorenzetti brothers.

Tues., May 16, 12–1:15 p.m.; CODE 1H0-766; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit How Catholic Art Saved the Faith

Not long after Martin Luther’s 95 Theses were posted in 1517, dialogue between Protestants and Catholics broke down and devastating religious wars erupted across Europe. Desperate to restore the peace and recover unity, the Catholic church turned to its longtime allies, the arts.

Convinced that to win over the unlettered, the best place to fight heresy was not in the streets but in stone and on canvas, prelates enlisted the century’s best artists, including Caravaggio, Guido Reni, Annibale Carracci, Federico Barocci, and Artemisia Gentileschi. Art historian and author Elizabeth Lev tells the story of the creation and successes of a magnificent, generations-long project: the affirmation through beauty of the Catholic belief in saints, sacraments, and salvation.

Wed., May 17, 12–1:15 p.m.; CODE 1H0-769; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit

Great Castles of Great Britain From William the Conqueror to Elizabeth I

From foreboding fortresses to captivating castles, Great Britain is home to extraordinary buildings that were the locations of some of the extremes of British history, ranging from the viciously vindictive—such as the grotesque murder of Edward II at Berkeley Castle—to the glamorously amorous, such as the adventures of Bess of Hardwick Hall, ever richer with each of her four marriages. Art historian Janetta Rebold Benton takes you on a vicarious visit to castle life in medieval and Renaissance England, examining architectural styles, historic structures, and splendid settings.

FRI., MAY 19

10 a.m. Moat, Keep, Motte, and Bailey

11:15 a.m. Manor Manners

FRI., MAY 26

10 a.m. Castle Life Fit for a King—and Queen

11:15 a.m. Architecture and Ego

2 sessions: Fri., May 19 and 26, 10 a.m.–12:15 p.m.; CODE 1D0015; Members $80; Nonmembers $90

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

German Expressionism

German Expressionism emphasizes the artist’s emotions or ideas over replicating reality and is characterized by simplified shapes, bright colors, and gestural marks or brushstrokes. In a program that covers paintings, drawings, etchings, woodblock prints, and sculpture, art historian Joseph Cassar introduces and explores 20th-century German Expressionism as a movement. He discusses forerunners of Expressionism such as Gruenwald’s Crucifixion and Goya’s The Third of May, and the work of Die Brücke (The Bridge), an organization of German painters and printmakers that from 1905 to 1913 played a pivotal role in the movement’s development. He also examines the Degenerate Art exhibition of 1937, with an emphasis on artists such as Kirchner, Nolde, Otto Mueller, Schmidt-Rottluff, Grosz, Otto Dix, Beckmann, and others.

Fri., May 19, 12–2 p.m.; CODE 1K0-364; Members $30; Nonmembers $35

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

The Art of Christo and Jeanne-Claude Outdoors, Outsized, and Out of the Ordinary

From their New York City apartment, Christo Javacheff and Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon initiated some of the most enigmatic, ephemeral, and beautiful works of public art ever created around the world. Each used acres of colorful fabric to cover an entire building, line a path, or surround islands—on display for no more than two weeks.

Art historian Nancy G. Heller analyzes the couple’s most important projects and explains their significance in the history of contemporary art.

Wed., May 24, 12–1:30 p.m.; CODE 1M2-262; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

The Mosque

Linking Religious and Architectural Traditions

The mosque is the defining element of an Islamic community. While there are a few essential components of a mosque, over time and across geographies an astonishing variety of form, building materials, and decoration in mosque architecture developed. With the spread of Islam around the world, mosques that were built for Muslim communities maintained the core components needed for the building’s function but developed regional styles depending on local building materials, architectural traditions, and climate.

Nancy Micklewright, a specialist in the history of Islamic art and architecture, looks closely at some of the most iconic and spectacular examples of mosques from different parts of the Islamicate world—including the Washington area—to survey this regional and temporal variety. From one of the smallest and oldest to one of the newest and most grand, she explores how these buildings maintain a connection with a building tradition that stretches back to the 7th century CE.

Tues., May 23, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1L0-514; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit Hokusai’s

Career in Prints

Internationally renowned for iconic works such as Under the Wave off Kanagawa, Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) designed popular woodblock prints for more than five decades. His boundless creativity led to a prolific output on a range of subjects in a variety of genres. National Museum of Asian Art curator Kit Brooks examines the print works of this artist, who has come to be seen as an embodiment of Japanese artistic style.

Mon., June 5, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1J0-268; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

What time does the program end? Unless noted, Smithsonian Associates programs run 1 hour 15 min.–2 hours, including Q&A

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit Renoir: The Gift of Joy

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, celebrated as a founding member of the Impressionists, is also hailed by modern realists for his painterly technique and happy subjects. His work reflected one central tenet: “To my mind, a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful and pretty. …There are too many ugly things in life as it is without creating still more of them.” No stonebreakers or railway stations for him.

Renoir reveled in lush color that can be seen in sensual nudes, family portraits, landscapes, and genre depictions such as Luncheon of the Boating Party. Art historian Bonita Billman showcases selections from his prolific oeuvre of more than 4,000 works as she illustrates why Renoir is one of the most highly regarded artists of his time.

Thurs., June 8, 12–1:30 p.m.; CODE 1M2-266; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

World Art History Certificate core course: Earn 1 credit

Understanding Modern Art

The radical innovations made by European and American painters and sculptors between 1900 and 1960 forever altered the way we think about visual art. Before World War I, Fauvist and Expressionist painters challenged the traditional Western concept of beauty, while Picasso and Malevich took on thousands of years of art history by exploring the controversial realm of abstraction.

Between the wars, artists as different as Salvador Dali and Frida Kahlo made images based on their own dreams and hallucinations. Later, American art finally achieved international recognition through the enormous, dramatic canvases of Jackson Pollock, paving the way for several decades of cultural prominence that began in the 1960s.

In this richly illustrated two-part course, art historian Nancy G. Heller, professor emerita of art history at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, discusses major works by the period’s seminal painters and sculptors, emphasizing their broader socio-political and aesthetic contexts.

FRI., JUNE 9

6:30 p.m. New Art for a New Century

SAT., JUNE 10

10 a.m. Empathy and Shock

11:30 a.m. Beyond Realism and Narrative

12:45 p.m. Break

1:15 p.m. Exploring the Subconscious

2:45 p.m. The Triumph of American Painting

2 sessions: Fri., June 9, 6:30 p.m. and Sat., June 10, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; CODE 1M2-263; Members $85; Nonmembers $95

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

The Elgin Marbles Controversy

Did Britain’s Lord Elgin rescue ancient Greek marble sculptures and architectural fragments–including a 24-foot marble frieze–from the Parthenon in 1801 or did he steal them? Greece’s position is clear: The country wants them back from the British Museum. But do the citizens of modern Greece have any claim over items produced in their region by people who lived thousands of years ago?

While the battle over ownership roils, the famed works have already been renamed in wide circles from the Elgin Marbles to the Parthenon Marbles. Art historian Joseph Cassar explores these ancient sculptures made under the supervision of architect and sculptor Phidias and the controversies that have swirled around them since they left Greece.

Mon., June 12, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-369; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit

Discovering the William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation Art Collection

William Louis-Dreyfus (1932–2016) was a poet, businessman, and committed art collector whose collection of close to 4,000 works represents over 50 years of discovery and dedication. Shaped by curiosity, an open mind, and a lifelong fascination with the power of visual media, Louis-Dreyfus’s collection remains remarkable today for its depth and diversity.

Get an introduction to this one-of-a-kind collection in a program that begins with a recorded message by actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who talks about her father’s passion for art and his commitment to education. Then, Paul Glenshaw (of the popular Smithsonian Associates Art+History series) hosts a live-streamed illustrated lecture about this extraordinary and fascinating collection by Mary Anne Costello and Christina Kee, the curators at the William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation in Mount Kisco, New York.

Fri., June 23, 12–1:15 p.m.; CODE 1K0-371; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn ½ credit for each session

The Intersection of Art and Literature

The notion that a picture is worth a thousand words is meant to convey the power of imagery. But what of the power of words—if they are personal interpretations of art that mix fact and fiction such as Giorgio Vasari’s Lives, or the writings of Dante and Shakespeare that inspired Auguste Rodin, or Émile Zola’s written defense of his great friend Édouard Manet’s work and the portrait it inspired. Explore the alchemy that occurs at the intersection of art and literature in this fascinating Sundayafternoon series with David Gariff, senior lecturer at the National Gallery of Art.

JUN 25 Walker Evans and James Agee

JUL 23 William Blake: Poet and Painter

AUG 27 Pablo Picasso and Gertrude Stein

3 sessions: Sun., June 25, July 23, Aug. 27, 3 p.m.; CODE 1H0-773; Members $75; Nonmembers $80

Individual programs: Sun., June 25 (CODE 1H0-773A), July 23 (CODE 1H0-773B), Aug. 27 (CODE 1H0-773C), 3 p.m.; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

World Art History Certificate core course: Earn 1 credit

The Art of India: From the

Indus

Valley to Independence

Ever since its origins in an ancient civilization along the Indus River, the complex culture of South Asia has led to the creation of some of the world’s most remarkable art and architecture. Robert DeCaroli, a professor in the department of history and art history at George Mason University, highlights the artistic traditions and historical changes in the Indian subcontinent from the earliest archaeological evidence to the onset of colonialism.

JUL 12 Origins of South Asian Culture

JUL 19 Kingdoms, Caves, and Temples

JUL 26 Southern Dynasties and Northern Newcomers

AUG 2 The Mughal Court, the British Raj, and the Nationalists

4 sessions: Wed., July 12–Aug. 2, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1J0-275; Members $80; Nonmembers $90