(3 of 4)
WORLD SHOW—Washington Square Galleries, 530 West Broadway at Bleecker. A spacious new showcase bills itself as the largest gallery in the world. The pace is leisurely (noon to midnight every day), the scope of its first exhibition vast. Artists from 49 countries and such divergent cultures as Formosa and Zanzibar are seen in a cross section of painting, sculpture and experimental art forms. From the U.S.: Brooks, De Kooning, Johns, Newman. Through Sept. 30.
MUSEUMS
RIVERSIDE—Riverside Drive at 103rd. A show of paintings and sculpture with some 60 works by as many artists. Standouts: Doris Caesar's 6-ft. Standing Woman, whose slim structure and angular rhythms exude a feeling of power; Jean Xceron's 1954, a subtle abstraction in a harmonious study of straight lines and soft shades; George Picken's Amalfi, a misty mixture of ochre, blues and reds. Through Aug. 2.
JEWISH—Fifth Ave. at 92nd. Fifty of Arshile Gorky's drawings span his career. Through June 30. An archaeological exhibition of 200 sculptures and artifacts going back to the sixth millennium B.C. shows images of divinity as conceived by Mesopotamian, Egyptian and other Near East civilizations. Through Sept. 6.
GUGGENHEIM—Fifth Ave. at 89th. The 120-work Van Gogh collection, lent by the painter's nephew, and environmental sculpture by Frederick Kiesler. Both through June 28.
METROPOLITAN—Fifth Ave. at 82nd.
Something for everyone: Wedgwood's revolutionary creamware; English jugs transfer-printed with American heroes and history; the architectural fantasies of previous world's fairs; Dutch, Flemish and French paintings.
GALLERY OF MODERN ART—Columbus Circle at 59th. Maxfield Parrish, 94, was a top illustrator in his day. In the 1930s his color reproductions rivaled in popularity those of Van Gogh and Cezanne. He did covers for Collier's, painted innumerable girls-on-rocks, and gave his name to the electric hue that backed them up—"Parrish blue." On view is a wide selection of his illustrations and paintings. Through Sept. 6.
MUSEUM OF PRIMITIVE ART—15 West 54th. "Masterpieces from the Americas" is a huge showing (300 works) of the museum's collection of pre-Columbian gold pieces, South American textiles, ancient Mexican stone sculpture, and Eskimo masks. Through Nov. 15.
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART—11 West 53rd. After a long winter under wraps the museum reopens with doubled gallery space, a bigger Sculpture Garden, and a 1,200-work review of art from Cezanne to Pop. The 400 paintings and sculptures include key works by modern masters but the avant-garde garners more space than any other period. In the Philip L. Goodwin Galleries everything from Tiffany glass to electronic panels; in the Edward Steichen Photography Center a rotating show of 170 photographs.
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY CRAFTS—29 West 53rd. A survey of contemporary crafts such as enamels, ceramics, weaving, metal-and woodworking includes a look back at the craftsmanship of American Indians. Through Sept. 13.