Edouard Manet's friend, the poet Charles Baudelaire, described black as the color of the nineteenth century. Manet was a master in the use of black, asserting his bold and subtle imprint on a range of subjects, from exotic Spanish dancers to the horses and spectators at a thrilling Paris racetrack.

Rembrandt in America, organized by The Cleveland Museum of Art (USA), is the first major exhibition to explore in depth the collecting history of Rembrandt paintings in America. Consisting of over 50 works, the exhibition brings together autograph works by Rembrandt as well as others thought to be by the artist when they entered American collections but whose attributions can no longer be maintained.

The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde, 1860–1900, hosted by the Legion of Honor (San Francisco, USA), is the first major exhibition to explore the unconventional creativity of the British Aesthetic Movement, tracing its evolution from a small circle of progressive artists and poets, through the achievements of innovative painters and architects, to its broad impact on fashion and the middle-class home.

The Scottish National Gallery (United Kingdom) hosts an exhibition that explores the versatile and beautiful drawing medium of red chalk. Comprising some 35 works from the Gallery's world-class collection, Red Chalk: Raphael to Ramsay showcases a diverse range of exquisite drawings by distinguished artists, such as Peter Paul Rubens, Salvator Rosa, Jean-Antoine Watteau, Francois Boucher and David Allan.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birthday of Gustav Klimt on July 14, 2012, the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna, Austria) showcases its important wall paintings.