ART

A TOUCH OF NIRVANA The Japan Society presents the opening of “Awakenings: Zen Figure Painting in Medieval Japan,” an exhibit of 47 Japanese and Chinese works painted between the 13th and the 16th centuries. The exhibit explores the origins and traditions of painting associated with Zen Buddhist communities during an era of singular artistic merit. In many of the works, Buddhist monks are depicted in spirit-infused states whether sleeping, dreaming, walking, or attaining enlightenment Since World War II, there have been only two large-scale shows mounted on this subject outside Japan. Opens today, exhibit through Sunday, June 17, Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Friday, 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Saturday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Japan Society, 333 E 47th St., between First and Second avenues, 212-832-1155, $10 general, $8 students and seniors, free to members and children under 16.

FASHION

STAGE VINTAGE The City Opera Thrift Shop holds its annual vintage shopping sale for one night only. Sample items include Todd Oldham and Yves St. Laurent suits, Donna Karan coats, and Missoni and Christian Dior jackets Tonight, 5–8 p.m., City Opera Thrift Shop, 212-684-5344, $10 suggested donation at the doors.

FILM

POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL The Museum of the Moving Image presents “The Real Edie Sedgwick,” a 16-film retrospective of the films directed by Andy Warhol and featuring Sedgwick, a muse the artist helped to propel to downtown “it girl” in the mid-1960s. In the loosely scripted 16-mm works Warhol typically captures the vibrant and photogenic Sedgwick on her own or hanging out with members of the artist’s Factory scene “Poor Little Rich Girl” (1965), a documentary portrait that depicts the actress engaged in her morning routine, is screened at 2 p.m. “Restaurant” (1965), which follows Sedgwick and friends, including Lou Reed, Jonas Mekas, and “Baby” Jane Holzer, is at 3:30 p.m Sedgwick was recently portrayed on the silver screen by the actress Sienna Miller in George Hickenlooper’s biopic “Factory Girl” (2006.) Saturday, 2, 3:30, 5, and 6:30 p.m., runs through Sunday, April 8, dates and times vary, MMI, 35th Avenue at 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, 718-784-0077, $10 general, $7.50 students and seniors, $5 children under age 18, free for members. For complete information, go to movingimage.us.

MUSIC

HONORING LISZT Pianist Marc-André Hamelin is renowned for his interpretations of the Classical and Romantic periods. He performs a program of works by Liszt and Mendelssohn, including three “sonnettos” from Liszt’s “Années de pèlerinage, deuxiéme année, S. 161 ‘Italie,'” and Mendelssohn’s “Lieder ohne Worter” (“Songs Without Words”). Tonight, 8 p.m., 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave. at 92nd Street, 212-415-5500, $40.

POSTERS

THE DASHING LEAD “Cary Grant: The Man From Dream City” is an exhibit of movie posters from around the world featuring the classic screen actor. The title of the exhibit was taken from a 1974 essay by Pauline Kael in the New Yorker magazine. Selections from the exhibit include a 1988 Japanese poster for the film “Bringing Up Baby,” top left; a 1980s Italian poster for the film “North by Northwest,” top right; a 1957 Argentine poster for the film “An Affair To Remember,” above left, and a 1948 American lobby card for the film “Only Angels Have Wings,” above right. Through Sunday, April 15, Monday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Sunday noon–6 p.m., Posteritati Gallery, 239 Centre St., between Grand and Broome streets, 212-226-2207, free.

READINGS

LONDON ROCK Joe Boyd’s memoir “White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s” (Serpent’s Tail) is a native New Yorker, but is known for his work producing some of England’s most influential rock artists, including Eric Clapton and Pink Floyd. One of his most famous moments, detailed in the memoir, was when he served as the production manager during the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, when Bob Dylan plugged in and played electric guitar, scandalizing fans who were devoted to his acoustic sound. Tonight, 7 p.m., McNally Robinson Booksellers, 52 Prince St., between Lafayette and Mulberry streets, 212-274-1160, free.

LOVE IS BLINDNESS The New York Book Club hosts a launch party in celebration of the publication of “Like Son” (Akashic), the second novel by Mexican-American author Felicia Luna Lemus. The novel follows a 30-something punk, born a girl, who undergoes a sex change and unwittingly inherits his blind father’s legacy. The novel is set amidst a trio of outsider communities in present day downtown New York City, 1990s Los Angeles, and Mexico City in the 1940s. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., NYBC, Visitors Center & Museum Shop, 108 Orchard St., between Delancey and Broome streets, 212-982-8420, free.

TALKS

THE COMING WORLD As part of its ongoing “Platform” series, Lincoln Center Theater presents a talk with playwright Christopher Shinn. Mr. Shinn discusses his most recent work, “Dying City,” a three-character drama about grief and violence set in New York City, and in the shadow of the Iraq war. The play opened this month. Playwright John Guare is moderator of the event. Tonight, 6 p.m., Vivian Beaumont Theater, lobby, 150 W. 65th St., between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, 212-362-7600, free.

MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME Makor hosts “Getting Personal,” a talk with a fine arts photographer and interior designer, Moises Esquenazi. Mr. Esquenazi’s work was recently featured in Metropolitan Home magazine. He is at work on a book about the ideas and objects that inspire and how they relate to produced work. Tonight, 7 p.m., Makor, Steinhardt Building, 35 W. 67th St., between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West, 212-601-1000, $12–$15.

THE DANGER ZONE “Women, War and Photography: A Tribute to Catherine Leroy” is a panel discussion about the French photographer who first began shooting war images during the Vietnam War in 1966, when she was 21 years old. The panelists also discuss the importance and history of female war photographers during the 20th century. Participants include photojournalists Carolyn Cole, Samantha Appleton, David Burnett, and Carol Guzy. The event is presented by the Aperture Foundation. Tonight, 7 p.m., the New School, 66 W. 12th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-229-5353, free.

CHAT WITH A CURATOR “Crosscut: Current Practices and Contemporary Art” is the fourth installment in the Riverhouse Contemporary Art & Design Series. The associate curator of contemporary art at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Joan Young, discusses artists’ use of unusual mediums, as well as the art viewing experience within both a traditional and a home setting. The deputy director of P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, Brett Littman, is curator of the event. Tonight, 7 p.m., 4 World Financial Center, Riverhouse Sales & Discovery Center, 250 Vesey St. at North End Avenue, 888-300-1732, free.

HAPPY EASTER The Center for Religious Inquiry and Great Music at St. Bartholomew’s Church presents a four-part lecture and music series devoted to the composer Brahms, in honor of the upcoming Holy Week and Easter holiday. The series begins with a lecture by the dean of the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, George Stauffer, who speaks about the life of Brahms. Upcoming lectures include a talk about Brahms’s “German Requiem” by a professor of music at Columbia University, Walter Frisch. Tonight, 7:30 p.m., St. Bartholomew’s Church, 109 E. 50th St. at Park Avenue, 212-378-0200, $10 general, $125 for all lectures.

OH, HERODOTUS This year’s theme of the 2007 Ranieri Colloquium on Ancient Studies at New York University is “Herodotus Now: The Personal and the Political.” Scholars discuss the timeliness of the Greek historian, who is called by some the “father of lies” and the “founder of the discipline of history.” Participants in the two-day conference include a professor at NYU and Cambridge University, Paul Cartledge, a professor at Swarthmore College, Rosaria Munson, and a professor at Brown University, David Konstan. Tomorrow, 6–7:15 p.m., Friday, 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m., NYU, Silver Center, Irving H. Jurow Lecture Hall, 100 Washington Square East at Washington Place, 212-998-8100, free.

NICE PAINTINGS The National Academy presents “John Singer Sargent and the American Figurative Tradition,” a lecture by independent curator and scholar Trevor Fairbrother. The lecture is presented in conjunction with the Academy’s current exhibit, “Life School: The Figure in American Art, 1785-1963.” Tomorrow, 6:30 p.m., the National Academy Museum, 1083 Fifth Ave., between 89th and 90th streets, 212-369-4880, free.

To submit an event for consideration for the Calendar, please wire the particulars to calendar@nysun.com, placing the date of the event in the subject line.