Art Capsules

Goya: The Engravings of the Caixanova Collection: The Spanish master's skull-staving series of etchings created during the later stages of his career is on view for the first time in the United States in this must-see exhibit. The four series include Los Caprichos (The Caprices), 1799; Los Desastres de la Guerra (The Disasters of War), 1810-1814; Tauromaquia (The Bullfighting), 1814-1816; and Los Disparates o Los Proverbios (The Follies), 1819-1823. The 218 works are separated into four rooms, each with an individual setting. They reflect Goya's penetrating powers of observation and explain why art historians now recognize him as the first modernist. — Carlos Suarez De Jesus Through November 9. Freedom Tower, 600 Biscayne Blvd, Miami; 305-237-7186.

Karen Kilimnik: The influential artist has a knack for picking at the scab of the national psyche. Beneath the deceptively saccharine blush of her artistic production oozes celebrity-addled America's obsession with Page Six gossip, fashion glossies, purple tabloid prose, and Court TV. Her work reminds us why a has-been wreck like O.J. Simpson can still dominate the 6:00 p.m. news. The first American survey of Kilimnik's career features more than 90 works spanning the past 20 years, including paintings, drawings, photographs, assemblage, and installations. — Carlos Suarez De Jesus Through November 12. Museum of Contemporary Art, 770 NE 125th St., North Miami; 305-893-6211, www.mocanomi.org.

Material Terrain: A Sculptural Exploration of Landscape & Place: This exhibit at the Lowe Art Museum unites 11 artists whose large-scale sculptures provoke thoughts of our uneasy relationship with the environment in a high-tech world. The works are varied, often huge, and created from a wild arsenal of materials ranging from poured fiberglass, deer carcasses, polyethylene, aluminum, and even wheat grass. The show aims a laserlike focus on the complex and urgent issues humanity faces if the planet is to survive our destructive tendencies. It succeeds in raising these questions while reminding us that nature is quite capable of biting back. — Carlos Suarez De Jesus Through November 27. Lowe Art Museum, 1301 Stanford Dr., Coral Gables; 305-284-3535, www.lowemuseum.org.

Place of Mind: A freestyle fellowship has developed between painter John Bailly and poet Richard Blanco. Their exhibit at the downtown branch of the Miami-Dade County Library System marks the culmination of a two-year project and features prints, paintings, and book art Bailly created in dialogue with Blanco's poems. The gang of two has spun what might be read as dynamic visual diaries by engaging in a conversational collaborative process. Bailly, a fellow of the honors college at Florida International University, and author Blanco have responded to each other's work on a gut level. — Carlos Suarez De Jesus Through December 15. Miami-Dade County Library, 101 W. Flagler St., Miami; 305-375-2665, www.mdpls.org.