Self-Portrait (1889), by Vincent van Gogh.Art: One of the most revelatory, absorbing art shows I’ve ever seen was The Studio of the South, an exhibit exploring the relationship between Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin and the work they created while briefly living together in the French town of Arles in late 1888. I caught it at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2001, and it was remarkable to see how the influence the two artists had on each other, particularly when it came to color. Tomorrow at the Norton Museum of Art, one of the last self-portraits van Gogh painted before his suicide in July 1890 will be on display until Feb. 8. The Norton is getting the painting in exchange for what is probably the finest painting it has, Gauguin’s Christ in the Garden of Olives (1889), in which the suffering Christ appears as Gauguin, but with the bright-red hair of van Gogh.
Christ in the Garden of Olives (1889), by Paul Gauguin. Garden of Olives is going out on loan in a couple weeks to a traveling Gauguin retrospective that will appear at London’s Tate Modern and Washington’s National Gallery, which in return is lending the van Gogh to the Norton. Few artists hold the iconic status of the tragic Dutch painter, and this beautiful portrait will no doubt draw ample crowds to the West Palm museum. For more information, call 832-5196 or visit www.norton.org. – G. Stepanich
George Clooney in The American.Film: Want proof that the summer is coming to a close? Loud, violent action pictures such as The Expendables and Takers are giving way this weekend to The American, as close as we will ever come to an art house hit-man movie. True, it does star George Clooney as a loner professional assassin holed up in a small Italian village trying to avoid some Swedes who want to eradicate him, but any resemblance to a commercial entertainment is strictly coincidental. Directed by Anton Corbijn with a maddeningly methodical – as in “slow” – pace, the film will grow on you if you let it, as does Clooney’s internal performance, devoid of his usual easy charm. At area theaters. – H. Erstein
Gregg Weiner and Erin Joy Schmidt in 50 Words.Theater: Coral Gables’ GableStage closes out its year-round theater season with one of its best productions in quite a while, an emotional roller-coaster look at the disintegration of a marriage: 50 Words, by Michael Weller, whose best-known plays – Moonchildren and Loose Ends – premiered decades ago. But he is at the top of his game putting a Brooklyn yuppie couple, Jan (Erin Joy Schmidt) and Adam (Gregg Weiner), under the microscope over a single night when they find themselves alone, having sent their overprotected son off to a friend’s sleepover. It should have been a night of romance, but long-festering wounds get picked at, secrets get revealed, claws get bared and even audience members in happy, stable relationships will find themselves identifying with the action on stage. Both Schmidt and Weiner are first-rate in these white-hot roles, under Joe Adler’s usual unflinching direction. Continuing through Sept. 12. Call (305) 445-1119 for tickets. – H. Erstein
The Jonas Brothers, with Demi Lovato.Music: More big-name acts are in town at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in the next couple days, beginning with Toby Keith (Should’ve Been a Cowboy) tomorrow night. Keith’s flag-waving during the runup to the second Iraq War gained the country singer many new fans and plenty of media attention during his dispute with the Dixie Chicks. The former Oklahoma oil hand appears with Trace Adkins on a tour called American Ride.
Three days later, it’s tween heaven as the Jonas Brothers bring their brand of squeaky-clean corporate pop to the Cruzan, with Demi Lovato of Disney’s Camp Rock as their opening act. The Jonases have not yet managed to cross over from entertaining the younger set to adult artistic respectability, but they’re serious about what they’re doing, and it may be that one day one or all of the siblings will make that breakthrough. Tickets for Keith and the Jonases are available through Live Nation/Ticketmaster.