Julie Heffernan's Self Portrait As Tender Mercenary (2006)Image courtesy of the artist and Zwirner & Wirth, New York

As wildly eclectic summer group shows abound (The Venice Biennale, Documenta 12, et al), it's refreshing to see one of the megagalleries taking a studied, vintage approach. Zwirner & Wirth's "Old School" exhibition pairs contemporary figurative works by John Currin, Glenn Brown, and the like (including Julie Heffernan's vibrant, intricate self-portrait, at left) with a Met-worthy selection of landscapes and portraits by their masterful sixteenth- and seventeenth-century predecessors, such as both the elder and younger Jan Brueghels and Rembrandt's famed teacher Jacob Van Swanenburgh.

Think of it as Anchorman meets The Jerk — only slightly more highbrow. —Rachel Wolff.