The 5pm Post – Your Weekly Art Lens by Beth Shook

Prince Of Petworth February 8, 2011 at 5:00pm

Bouquet of Concaves as photographed by David Smith at Bolton Landing, 1959. Color transparency. (c) Estate of David Smith/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

While a number of museums and galleries are busy gearing up for the spring, this weekend brings two exciting and remarkably different exhibitions to the Phillips Collection, as well as the closing of some smaller shows. Click on a venue for a Google map of its address. As always, share your own recommendations in the comments.

David Smith Invents at the Phillips Collection: This Saturday , the Phillips opens its exhibition of late works by David Smith, one of the most celebrated Abstract Expressionist sculptors and one of my personal favorites. On display will be sculptures, paintings and works on paper that demonstrate Smith’s interest in translating geometric elements of abstract painting to three-dimensional form. On view Feb. 12 to May 15. Metro: Dupont Circle.

Suzannah Vaughan: Tracing Form at Flashpoint: Closing Saturday, this exhibition is presented in conjunction with Irish arts organization Solas Nua. Suzannah Vaughan’s work on view includes new concrete-and-glass sculptures accompanied by her “luminous string installations.” Vaughan’s sculptures seem to contain mysterious inner lives in their blue and green cores, reflecting her interest in “transient spaces, where utopian structures can exist outside the politics of reality.” On view until Feb. 12. Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown or Metro Center.

Continues after the jump.

Philip Guston, Roma at the Phillips Collection: Also opening at the Phillips this Saturday is this exhibition (on tour from Rome) of almost 40 paintings by Philip Guston, an artist who experimented with a variety of artistic movements before developing his signature cartoonish style of figuration. Roma explores Guston’s Italian influences and the work he executed during his 1970-71 stay in Rome. The museum is hosting a now sold-out panel discussion led by curator Susan Behrends Frank and that will include artist Chuck Close tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. On view Feb. 12 to May 15. Metro: Dupont Circle

Latines/Latinhood at the Consulate of El Salvador: According to the press release, Latines/Latinhood, organized by the artist collective Tres Raices, deals with the Latino experience, in which “self-identity and present reality [are] in a state of conflict.” There are no exhibit images online, but you can see a sample of painting, photography and installation works by some of the featured artists at the Tres Raices website. On view until Feb. 13. The Consulate will hold a reception on Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. (no RSVP required). Bus: 32/36 or Georgetown/Union Station Circulator

Short list: Threaded Seascapes: Elena Stamberg at Studio Gallery; Second Lives: The Age-Old Art of Recycling Textiles at the Textile Museum