7 must-see exhibits to catch around D.C. this summer before they close
'Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist'
National Gallery of Art
Closes: July 6, 2025
This powerful exhibition brings long-overdue recognition to Elizabeth Catlett, a masterful sculptor and printmaker whose work centers Black women's strength, labor, and resistance. Born in Washington, D.C., Catlett's art is inseparable from her politics; her bold linocuts and sculptures celebrate civil rights icons, laborers and everyday people. The show charts her career from the 1940s through the 1990s, illuminating her time in Mexico, her activism and her stylistic evolution. It's an essential visit for anyone interested in Black art, political resistance and feminist aesthetics. More information.
'Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Always to Return'
National Portrait Gallery
Closes: July 6
Minimalist and poetic, Felix Gonzalez-Torres's work is both intimate and political. Gonzalez-Torres, who died of AIDS-related complications in 1996, often used ordinary materials — lightbulbs, candy, paper stacks — to create deeply emotional installations. His works push the boundaries of what portraiture can be, for example, in a portrait of his father made from a pile of candies weighing the same as his father — candies that the viewer is encouraged to take. He also left instructions for the works to be updated after he died and thus the gallery's curators updated some of the word portraits to reflect current events with words such as Black Lives Matter Plaza 2020 and 'January 6 2021.' This is the first large-scale exhibition of Gonzalez-Torres' work in D.C. in 30 years. More information.
'The Artist's Experience: From Brotherman to Batman'
Phillips@THEARC
Closes: July 24
This dynamic exhibition, presented by the Phillips Collection at THEARC arts and community center in Congress Heights, celebrates 20 Black comic book artists and their engagement with superhero narratives, comics and Afrofuturism. From the independently published 'Brotherman: Dictator of Discipline' to the global icon Batman, the show examines how artists reinterpret the heroic form to reflect Black identity, struggle and imagination. Featuring vibrant illustrations, prints, and multimedia works, this show speaks to fans of graphic novels as much as to contemporary art lovers. More information.
'OSGEMEOS: Endless Story'
Hirshhorn Museum
Closes: Aug. 3
Brazilian twin brothers Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo — known as OSGEMEOS — have brought their fantastical world to the Hirshhorn in their first U.S. survey exhibition. With nearly 1,000 pieces on view, taking up a whole floor of the iconic circular museum building, 'Endless Story' is a kaleidoscopic experience filled with graffiti, music, puppetry and surreal characters. The exhibit blurs the boundaries between high art and street culture, channeling dreams, folklore and cultural memory. It's a visually explosive journey you'll want to wander through more than once — and a hit with all ages. More information.
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'Uncanny'
National Museum of Women in the Arts
Closes: Aug. 10
After a major renovation, the National Museum of Women in the Arts reopened in 2023 with fresh energy — and 'Uncanny' is a standout among its inaugural offerings. The exhibition brings together contemporary women artists whose work explores the eerie, the strange and the psychologically charged. Expect sculpture, photography, and video that unsettle and provoke, with themes ranging from bodily transformation to domestic unease. Fun fact: many of the pieces in the show — and indeed, the museum itself — are from the collections of now divorced powerhouse lobbyists Tony and Heather Podesta.
'Pictures of Belonging: Miki Hayakawa, Hisako Hibi, and Miné Okubo'
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Closes: Aug. 17
This poignant exhibition highlights the work of three Japanese American women artists who endured World War II incarceration and emerged with unique perspectives on identity and resilience. Their paintings and prints, many rarely seen, capture both the trauma and tenacity of their generation. This show is as much about American history as it is about artistic innovation, shedding light on lives and legacies too often overlooked. More information.
'American Vignettes: Symbols, Society, and Satire'
Rubell Museum
Closes: Fall 2025
The Rubell Museum, the city's newest private museum that opened in 2022, continues to present bold, provocative contemporary art from the collection of its founders, Miami art barons Don and Mera Rubell. 'American Vignettes' features a rotating selection of works that interrogate American culture through humor, symbolism and critical commentary. Think political pop art, subversive collage and biting sculpture. More information.
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