Major museum exhibits

GENGHIS KHAN rides into town, gay rights get celebrated, "Deep Throat" (the Watergate informant, not the smut) appears in a very '70s photo show and the great painter Horace Pippin gets a great big retrospective - his first in 20 years. So stop bellyaching that there's nothing to do.

Richard Avedon: Family Affairs, April 1-Aug. 2. Rare exhibit resurrects the fashion photographer's 1976 political statement - a portfolio he shot for Rolling Stone featuring 69 black-and-white portraits of that era's power elite. Included are president Gerald Ford (and, presciently, his three successors), Henry Kissinger, Pete Rozelle, Walter Annenberg, Cesar Chavez, Ralph Nadar, Shirley Chisholm, even W. Mark Felt (not yet revealed to be Deep Throat.) Befitting the times, most are white, male and wide-tied. Bella Abzug wins best-hat honors.

National Museum of American Jewish History, 5th and Market streets, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays (closed Mondays and April 4 for Passover), 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. weekends, $11-$12, (free for kids 12 and under and active military), 215-923-3811, nmajh.org.

Cezanne Uncovered: Two Sketches Revealed Through Conservation, April 10-May 18. See the two sketches that rocked the art world last month when Barnes Foundation conservators discovered them hiding on the back of two watercolors. The museum will show the famous Cezanne backsides, briefly, in double-sided frames with the paintings on the flip side. Then the works return to their appointed nooks (both in Room 20) right-side out.

Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, exhibition hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wenesday-Monday, $10-$25 (under 6 free), 215-278-7000, barnesfoundation.org.

Horace Pippin: The Way I See It, April 25-July 19. In a time when it was nearly unthinkable, African American painter and West Chester native Pippin (1888-1946) captured the contemporary art world's immediate imagination. This rare gathering of 65 of his life's 140 forthright, folk-meets-modern works offer an honest glimpse of our country's heritage - beauty, struggle, shame and all.

Brandywine River Museum of Art, Route 1, Chadds Ford, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., daily, $15 (discounts available), 610-388-2700, brandywinemuseum.org.

Genghis Khan, May 9-Jan. 3, 2016. In just 25 years, the Mongolian warrior - Temujin to his friends - conquered more lands and people than Rome did in four centuries of rule. Interactive maps show the astonishing reach of his territory. The 200 jaw-dropping artifacts on display in this traveling show (created by Media's own "Dino" Don Lessem) include jewelry, weapons and impressive nomadic saddlery.

Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St., $14-$16.50 (under 3 free), 215-448-1200, fi.edu.

PAFA Student Exhibition, May 15-June 7. The 114th annual display of works of soon-to-be MFAs, graduates and undergrads offers a rare and historic chance to view (and invest in) future Thomas Eakinses. Nine hundred pieces represent about 90 students.

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 128 N. Broad St., open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays, $8-$15 (under 13 free), 215-972-7600, pafa.org.

Animal Grossology, May 16-Aug. 30. Kids in their the-grosser-the-better phase are the target audience for hands-on (hands-in?) exhibit about the bodily fluids of insects, cows and everything in-between, inspired by Sylvia Branzei's best-selling books of the same name.

Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, $13-$15 plus $5 exhibit fee (under 3 free), 215-299-1000, ansp.org.

Speaking Out for Equality: The Constitution, Gay Rights, and the Supreme Court, June 5-Sept. 7. "Reminder Day" protests 50 years ago in Philly helped launch the gay rights movement. The William Way LGBT Community Center presents an exhibit on the history of the struggle, from then through now. Re-enactment of "Reminder" demonstration July 4 in front of Independence Hall.

National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St., $8-$14.50 (free for kids 3 and under and active military), 215-409-6700, constitutioncenter.org.

The Art of the Brick, through Sept. 6. Howl when you step on them barefoot, but marvel, too, at what LEGOS can do when talented artist Nathan Sawaya gets his hands on them. His 100-work exhibit stays on at the Franklin Institute all spring. (All summer, too).

Franklin Institute, 20th Street and Ben Franklin Parkway, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, $14.95-$29.95 (advance ticket purchasing recommended), under 3 free, 215-448-1200, fi.edu.

Life, Death & Gold in Ancient Panama, through Nov. 1. Ancient golden jewelry and armor from the Penn Museum collections is newly aglow in exhibit that re-creates the 1940 dig that found the impressive stash.

Penn Museum, 3260 South St., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday (closed Mondays), $10-$15 (free for kids 5 and under and active military), 215-898-4000, penn.museum.