Focus on Art

Gorky retrospective. Arshile Gorky was a survivor, first of the genocide in his native Armenia and then of an adjustment to American culture and modern art. On Oct. 21, the Philadelphia Museum of Art will open the largest exhibition in nearly three decades for a key figure in the development of avant-garde art in America. (215-763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.)

Late Renoir. Bookending the 2009-10 season in late spring is the Art Museum's other major presentation, a survey of what Pierre-Auguste Renoir created during his late years. The exhibition will reveal how Renoir moved away from impressionism to subjects inspired by classical mythology. Tentative dates are June 17-Sept. 6, 2010. (215-763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.)

Dance With Camera. This show, which opens at the Institute of Contemporary Art this weekend, explores artists and dancers who make choreography for the camera, which allows close-ups that shrink the distance between audience and performers. (215-898-7108 or www.icaphila.org.)

Muppet master. Also this weekend, the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown is opening its addition with an exhibition about Jim Henson, best known for creating the Muppets. The show traces the evolution of his ideas from doodles to puppets to film and television. (215-340-9800 or www.michenerartmuseum.org.)

Rosenwald's legacy. In 1917, Julius Rosenwald, a prominent businessman and philanthropist, created a fund to foster black leadership through the arts. The Allentown Art Museum today opens an exhibition of more than 60 works by prominent African American artists who received grants. (610-432-4333 or www.allentownartmuseum.org.)

Hollywood magic. Movie costumes seem to be the latest enthusiasm at regional museums. On Oct. 3, the Reading Public Museum will open a show of more than 100 costumes from the Golden Age of film collected by former Philadelphia TV personality Gene London. (610-371-5850 or www.readingpublicmuseum.org.)

Birth of the cool. Barkley L. Hendricks is one of the most renowned recent graduates of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. A survey of his 45-year career, featuring portraits of urban African Americans, will open at PAFA on Oct. 17. (215-972-7600 or www.pafa.org.)