New exhibits: ‘Small Treasures’ in Birmingham; MODA's 'Sustainable Shelter'

Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with the Red Hat" (circa 1665), a 9 inch by 7 inch oil on panel, is included in the exhibit "Small Treasures: Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals, and Their Contemporaries, " opening Jan. 30 at the Birmingham Museum of Art.

Credit: hpousner

Credit: hpousner

Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with the Red Hat" (circa 1665), a 9 inch by 7 inch oil on panel, is included in the exhibit "Small Treasures: Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals, and Their Contemporaries, " opening Jan. 30 at the Birmingham Museum of Art.

‘Small Treasures’ in Alabama

Often overlooked by art museums and scholars, but remarkable in their own right, small-scale paintings by masters of the Dutch and Flemish Golden Age will be celebrated in the Birmingham Museum of Art exhibition opening Jan. 30, “Small Treasures: Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals and Their Contemporaries.”

Anthony van Dyck's "Portrait of Nicholas Rockox" (1636), a 6-inch-diameter oil on panel, is included in "Small Treasures."

Credit: hpousner

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Credit: hpousner

Organized by the North Carolina Museum of Art, the exhibit gathers 40 oils, most no more than 10 inches high, by 28 artists who lived and worked in what is today the Netherlands and Belgium during the 17th century. Other artists represented include Gerrit Dou, Adriaen Brouwer and Anthony van Dyck. More than half of the works are drawn from private collections, some on public view for the first time.

“During the Golden Age of Dutch and Flemish painting in the 17th century, artists demonstrated more than ever before their love for minute and precise detail by painting on a small scale,” said Birmingham Museum Curator of European Art Robert Schindler said. “At the time, the incredible technical skills of these masters were highly revered and one can imagine the joy and wonder people felt when examining and exploring these precious gems.”

Through April 26. $12, $10 seniors, $5 students. 2000 Rev. Abraham Woods, Jr. Blvd., Birmingham. 205-254-2565, www.artsbma.org.

MODA explores homes at home with nature

Newly open at the Museum of Design Atlanta is the exhibition "Sustainable Shelter: Dwelling Within the Forces of Nature" measures the environmental impact of American homes over time and explores new, eco-friendly building technologies and strategies.

Organized by the Bell Museum of Natural History at the University of Minnesota, the show includes more than 15 interactive components, graphics, cartoons and interactive computer games. Guests can build a model of a home that incorporates environmental features presented in the exhibit.

Through April 5. $10; $8 seniors, military and educators; $5 ages 6-17 and college students. 1315 Peachtree St., Atlanta. 404-979-6455. www.museumofdesign.org.