A Bouquet of Spring Exhibit Openings

April is bringing the usual shower of new exhibits. Among them:

* New York City: “Alfred Hitchcock,” billed as the most comprehensive retrospective of the suspense master’s films ever presented in the U.S., runs through June 15, twinned with an exhibit on his life through Aug. 17 at the Museum of Modern Art. Tel. (212) 708-9400. Also, “The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition,” photographs and artifacts from the treacherous 1914 voyage of Sir Ernest Shackleton, runs through Oct. 11 at the American Museum of Natural History. Tel. (212) 769-5200.

* Washington, D.C.: “Franklin & His Friends,” more than 40 portraits of U.S. patriot and inventor Benjamin Franklin plus books, microscopes and other items portrayed in them, through Sept. 6 at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. Tel. (202) 357-2700.

* San Jose: “Stripes and Stars: A Visual History of an American Icon,” selections from a 2,500-item private collection of American flag objects, today through July 11 at the San Jose Museum of Art. Tel. (408) 294-2787.