The French Painter Who Sculpted Light

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Basel, “Eugène Carrière: Sculpting Light” (Until Nov. 1)
The subjects of Eugène Carrière’s paintings appear from a hazy fog as if from a dream. Born in Gournay-sur-Marne in 1849, he became known in Paris for his portraits of writers and artists, as well as for intimate renderings of mothers and children, all suffused with a reduced palette and soft glow. “Carrière uses light as a metaphor for the inner light of the subject, for its aura,” writes art historian Helen Hirsch. “Their outer appearance is an expression of their inner light.” Two decades of the French painter’s original and timeless output is showcased in this survey. hauserwirth.com

Boston, “Rachel Ruysch: Artist, Naturalist, and Pioneer” (Until Dec. 7)
With her astonishing floral bouquets, Dutch painter Rachel Ruysch achieved rare international fame while few women painters were being taken seriously. Born in 1664 to a professor of botany, she learned to draw with scientific precision using his collections of flora and fauna. Her later still lifes of floral arrangements—especially marvelous because they introduced exotic novelties like cacti and orchids—were unrivaled in their vividness. By her death in 1750, Ruysch had sustained one of the most successful artistic careers of the Dutch Golden Age. Now, 35 of her finest paintings return to view. mfa.org

London, “Millet: Life on the Land” (Until Oct. 19)
“I felt like telling myself, take off your shoes, for the place where you are standing is holy ground,” said Van Gogh after seeing Jean-François Millet’s work in the late 19th-century. The French painter’s portraits of peasants laboring in the fields were celebrated for their compassion and unsentimentality. This exhibition of 13 paintings and drawings centers on Millet’s 1859 canvas L’Angelus. The iconic painting, picturing a couple pausing at dusk to pray, was worshiped by Van Gogh and decades later, became a lifelong obsession for Dalí. nationalgallery.org.uk

Mexico City, “Oscar Murillo: Espíritus en el Pantano” (Until Nov. 23)
Oscar Murillo breaks the conventions of high art in ways that often bring people together. He lets dirt gather on his paintings, welcomes audiences to participate in his work, and even gives away pieces of his installations. In doing so, Murillo confronts questions surrounding community and displacement rooted in his experience emigrating from rural Colombia to London as a child. In this exhibition, black crayons invite visitors to scribble, draw, but also erase. museotamayo.org

San Francisco, “Rooted in Place: California Native Art” (Until Dec. 6)
Native American art entered the de Young’s collection at its founding in 1895, but since then, the institution’s understanding surrounding its presentation has evolved dramatically. Indigenous art was often presented in an anthropological light but this new installation reverses such one-sided handling. From the start, Indigenous co-curators and communities determined what could be shown and how here. This exhibition aims to challenge expectations about Native art, highlighting thousands of years of textiles, ceramics, and paintings from Native California. famsf.org