Gauguin’s only U.S. stop: Texas

Fort Worth

Dec. 18-March 26: “Gauguin and Impressionism,” the first comprehensive survey of the artist’s early career, opens at the Kimbell Art Museum, its only U.S. stop. Because his famed Tahitian paintings tend to overshadow his earlier works, Gauguin is often thought of as a Postimpressionist; Kimbell spokeswoman Mindy Riesenberg says this show confirms the young Gauguin’s importance as an Impressionist painter and sculptor. A “guest of honor” at the show will be Gauguin’s 1896 Tahitian painting “Nave Nave Mahana,” on loan from the Musee des Beaux Arts de Lyon, considered the most important Gauguin in a French public collection.

Kimbell Art Museum, 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth; (817) 332-8451, www.kimbellart.org. Advance tickets available through Ticketmaster, (817) 467-2787 or ticketmaster.com: adults $12, seniors and students $10, children age 6-11 $8, plus handling fees.

Guadalupe, Calif.

Dec. 21: The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes, about 80 miles northwest of Santa Barbara, are the highest sand dunes on the West Coast and one of the country’s last intact coastal dune systems. The Dunes Center holds its seventh winter solstice celebration at the Rancho Guadalupe Dunes Preserve. Visitors will view wildlife through night-vision glasses and scan the night sky with the help of star charts. Music, Chumash Indian stories, hikes, a bonfire and hot chocolate will warm up the wintry atmosphere.

West end of California 166, Guadalupe. 6-9 p.m. $20; children 12 and younger, free. Reservations required: (805) 343-2455, www.dunescenter.org.

Around the West

Dec. 31: There’s still time to plan a New Year’s Eve that has nothing to do with TV or Times Square. Several ski resorts will start the festivities with torchlight parades down their slopes, sometimes with fireworks. Contact the resorts for exact times and locations.

Alyeska: (907) 754-1111, www.alyeskaresort.com.

Northstar-at-Tahoe: (530) 562-1010, www.northstarattahoe.com.

Breckenridge: (970) 453-5000, www.breckenridge.com

Purgatory at Durango: (800) 738-0406, www.durangomountainresort.com

Showdown: (800) 433-0022

www.showdownmontana.com.

Red River: (505) 754-2223, www.redriverskiarea.com

Taos: (800) 347-7414, www.skitaos.org.

Brian Head: (435) 677-2035,

www.brianhead.com

Snowbird: (800) 232-9542, www.snowbird.com

Silver Star: (250) 542-0224,

skisilverstar.com

-- Patricia Connell