"Art at the Center: 75 Years of Walker Collections": After 135 years, Walker Art Center knows how to have fun. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of its present incarnation, it's launching two long-running shows and throwing a Walktoberfest bash Oct. 16-19 that includes free films, a beer garden, longer gallery hours and family fun. "Art at the Center: 75 Years of Walker Collections" will spotlight such gallery chestnuts as Franz Marc's "The Large Blue Horses," Edward Hopper's "Office at Night," Chuck Close's "Big Self-Portrait," Yves Klein's "Mondo Cane Shroud" and Robert Gober's "The Subconscious Sink." Even the Jade Mountain, a huge chunk of carved Chinese jade that once decorated the dining table of the center's founder, will return from the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. A companion show, "Art at the Center: Recent Acquisitions," will sample newer purchases including "Heavy Rotation," a 2011 video by Minnesota's own Chris Larson.

Starts Oct. 16 at Walker Art Center, 1750 Vineland Pl., Mpls. • $9-$14 • 612-375-7600 • www.walkerart.org

"Italian Style: Fashion Since 1945": Devastated by World War II, Italy regained its dolce vita and glamorous style in the 1950s and '60s, when filmmakers used Venice and Rome as the atmospheric location for Hollywood films. Organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, this show features luxurious evening wear, chic day ensembles and sparkling accessories by some of the 20th century's classic fashion houses including Gucci, Prada, Versace, Valentino, Armani, Fendi, Pucci, Missoni, Dolce & Gabbana and such younger talents as Giambattista Valli, Fausto Puglisi and the new Valentino design team Maria Grazi Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli. Film stills and period fashion photography amplify the featured clothing.

Oct. 26-Jan. 4 • Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2400 3rd Av. S. • $20 adults • 612-870-3000 • www.artsmia.org

"Life on the Edge of the Forest: Russian Traditions in Wood": The tender birch leaves of spring carry hope and national pride in Russian paintings. So, too, the forests of the motherland provided wood for warmth, shelter and the intricate carvings that ornament traditional Russian furniture and homes. In a lively exploration of this ancient folk art, "Life on the Edge" examines wood as a building and craft material, forests as sustainable ecosystems and carvings as a source of cultural identity.

Ends March 8 • Museum of Russian Art, 5500 Stevens Av. S., Mpls. • $9 adults • 612-821-9045 • www.tmora.org

"Anishinaabensag Biimskowebshkigewag: Native Kids Ride Bikes": Seven lowrider bikes designed and decorated by urban American Indian teens, contemporary indigenous artists and non-Indian university students in Michigan are the centerpiece of this unusual celebration of values that shape identity. The artist-led project included instruction in seven core values based on such sacred Anishinaabeg principles as wisdom, love, respect and bravery. Those ideas, in turn, were expressed in the design and decoration of bicycles, pennants and flags featured in the show along with photos and a video.

Oct. 3-Jan. 4 • Weisman Art Museum, University of Minnesota, 333 E. River Rd., Mpls. • free • 612-625-9494 • www.weisman.umn.edu

"Vera Lutter: Venice": For her Twin Cities debut, the internationally celebrated German-born photographer Vera Lutter is showing her mysterious black-and-white photos of Venice, all made with pinhole camera "technology." That antique process, traditionally called a camera obscura, actually involves little modern technology. A simple pinhole in an outside window or wall brought light into a Venetian hotel room, where Lutter pinned up wall-sized sheets of photographic paper. Over long exposures, the light left inverted images of the exterior vista. Lutter's images are ghostly, poetic records of a decaying city whose watery ruins seem made for dreams.

Ends Oct. 24 • Weinstein Gallery, 908 W. 46th St., Mpls. • 612-822-1722 • www.weinstein-gallery.com

Julie Buffalohead: A midcareer survey by the Minnesota Museum of American Art, this show will highlight Buffalohead's quasi-autobiographical and culturally infused paintings, drawings and other from the early 2000s to today.

Dec. 18-Feb. 22 • Pioneer Building, 332 N. Robert St., St. Paul • free • 651-797-2571 • www.mmaa.org