Figuratively Speaking

Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art at the Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas has teamed up once again with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. This time, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has joined the mix to form a trio. The result is a smashing new exhibition, Figuratively Speaking: A Survey of the Human Form. This is no obligatory academic exercise, or tutorial regarding the human body. The show pulls more than 40 paintings, photographs, and sculptures from the three noted collections, and provides viewers with new experiences. Shown are figures captured in many visual styles, within a range of traditional and contemporary perspectives — works by Renoir, Picasso, Degas, Leger, Lichtenstein, Giacometti, Hockney, and Haring. There are also video installations by 29 artists who have helped to define the genre of the late 19th, 20th, and early 21st centuries. This collaboration has produced an engaging exhibition. It’s a show that will shake loose any rigid notions about the human figure. (877/957-9777, www.bellagio.com)   DARLENE G. DAVIES