Relatively few museum exhibitions open in the winter months, but here are a few that are taking the polar plunge.
“Frank Sinatra at 100” pays tribute to Ol’ Blue Eyes with an exhibition of photographs, sheet music, album covers, posters, the trench coat he wore in the 1957 film “Pal Joey” and bowties made by his first wife, Nancy, to throw to fans at concerts. National Museum of American History, opens Nov. 20.
“New York City: A Portrait Through Stamp Art” will display 30 pieces of original postal artwork under the headings: Baseball, Broadway, City Life, Icons, Politics and Government and Music. National Postal Museum, opens Dec. 10.
“Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World” will exhibit about 50 sculptures and related works from the Greek-dominated Mediterranean of the fourth to first century B.C., lent by archaeological museums in Europe and the United States. National Gallery of Art, Dec. 13 through March 20.
“Shakespeare: Life of an Icon” assembles books and documents — such as deeds for his real estate purchases and diary entries by audience members — from the Bard’s lifetime, providing context for his work and a tangible sense of the elusive author and man. Folger Shakespeare Library, Jan. 20 through March 27.
“Renée Stout: Tales of the Conjure Woman” displays work in various genres by this D.C.-based artist, who uses the alter ego Fatima Mayfield, a fictitious herbalist and fortune-teller, in her explorations of personal and social issues. American University Museum at the Katzen Center, Jan. 23 through March 13.
Note: Stout’s work is also on view at Hemphill Fine Arts through Dec. 19 in a solo show called “Wild World.”
