DRAWINGS FROM THE AGE OF BRUEGEL, RUBENS, AND REMBRANDT Forty Netherlandish, Dutch and Flemish drawings from the 15th to the 18th centuries, all from Harvard’s collection, which is one of the most comprehensive in the United States. May 21 through Aug. 14. Harvard Art Museums. 617-495-9400, www.harvardart museums.org
EXPLODE EVERY DAY: AN INQUIRY INTO THE PHENOMENA OF WONDER More than 20 contemporary artists from the United States, as well as Canada and France, feature in an ambitious show designed to explore — and activate! — the condition of wonder. Opens May 28. Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams. 413-662-2111, www.massmoca.org
ROCKWELL AND REALISM IN AN ABSTRACT WORLD Works by celebrated illustrators are placed alongside realist and abstract works by such artists as Cy Twombly, Jasper Johns, Jeff Koons, Andrew Wyeth, Jamie Wyeth, Walton Ford, Larry Rivers, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol in an ambitious show exploring the changing fortunes of illustrational modes of image-making over the past 60 years. June 17 through Oct. 29. Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge. 413-298-4100, www.nrm.org
SPLENDOR, MYTH, AND VISION: NUDES FROM THE PRADO Twenty-eight Old Master paintings, all representing the nude, on loan from Spain’s great museum. Includes work by Titian, Tintoretto, Rubens, Velazquez, Ribera, and Poussin. All but four have never previously been seen in the United States. The Clark is the show’s only venue. June 11 through October 10. Clark Art Institute, Williamstown. 413-458-2303, www.clarkart.edu
GRANDMA MOSES: AMERICAN MODERN More than 60 paintings and works on paper by the legendary American self-taught artist, who is presented here in a context of developments in modernism, alongside work by other 19th and 20th century folk and modern artists. June 18 through Oct. 30. Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vt. 802-985-3346, www.shelburnemuseum.org
O’KEEFFE, STETTHEIMER, TORR, ZORACH: WOMEN MODERNISTS IN NEW YORK Organized by the Norton Museum of Art in Florida, this show examines the parallel careers of Georgia O’Keeffe, Marguerite Thompson Zorach, Florine Stettheimer, and Helen Torr in New York in the early 20th century. June 24 through Sept. 18. Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine. 207-775-6148, www.portlandmuseum.org
MAINE CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART OPENING A large and boisterous new venue for contemporary art opens in Rockland with a series of exhibitions focused on, respectively: photographer and video artist Rollin Leonard; Alex Katz; Jonathan Borofsky; Lauren Henkin; and Don Voisine. Opens June 26. Maine Center for Contemporary Art, Rockland, Maine. 207-701-5005, www.cmcanow.org
NALINI MALANI: IN SEARCH OF VANISHED BLOOD The celebrated Indian artist presents an immersive installation consisting of six 11-minute videos projected onto the surrounding walls through five rotating Mylar cylinders, hand-painted with changing iconography. June 29 through Oct. 16. Institute of Contemporary Art. 617-478-3100, www.icaboston.org
AMERICAN IMPRESSIONIST: CHILDE HASSAM AND THE ISLE OF SHOALS The great American Impressionist painted the rocky shoals of Appledore Island, off the coast of Portsmouth, N.H., over three decades. The exhibition presents 40 oil paintings and related watercolors, all made between the late 1880s and 1912. July 16 through Nov. 6. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem. 978-745-9500, www.pem.org
LUCA DELLA ROBBIA: SCULPTING WITH COLOR IN RENAISSANCE FLORENCE Fifty objects, mostly from US collections (but including a few loans from Italy), present the work of the Renaissance artist famous for inventing a glazing technique that produced bright whites and deep blues. Aug. 9 through Dec. 4. Museum of Fine Arts. 617 267 9300. www.mfa.org
SEBASTIAN SMEE
Sebastian Smee can be reached at ssmee@globe.com.
