MFA, Boston acquires works by African American artists from John Axelrod Collection

BOSTON, MA.- Sixty-seven works by African American artists have recently been acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), from collector John Axelrod, an MFA Honorary Overseer and long-time supporter of the Museum. The purchase has enhanced the MFA’s American holdings, transforming it into one of the leading repositories for paintings and sculpture by African American artists. The Museum’s collection will now include works by almost every major African American artist working during the past century and a half. Seven [...]

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Opens New Gallery Dedicated to Jewelry, Gems and Treasures

BOSTON.- As the saying goes, “diamonds are a girl’s best friend”—at least in modern times—but as the exhibition Jewels, Gem, and Treasures: Ancient to Modern illustrates,ornaments made of ivory, shell, and rock crystal were prized in antiquity, while jewelry made of diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, and pearls became fashionable in later years. On view July 19, 2011, through November 1, 2012, this exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), highlights some 75 objects representing the rich variety of jewels, gems, [...]

Museum Explores Relationship Between Two Iconic Painting Series by Monet and Lichtenstein

BOSTON, MA.- Claude Monet (1840–1926) painted 30 views of Rouen Cathedral from 1892 to 1895, captured at different times of the day and from various vantage points. Some 75 years later, Roy Lichtenstein (1923–1997) approached the same subject with a fresh eye, one that reflected the bold and graphic sensibilities of another innovative style—pop art. These two visions confront each other in Monet/Lichtenstein: Rouen Cathedrals, which opens to the public on Sunday, July 3, at theMuseum of Fine Arts, Boston. [...]

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston to Retain Ownership of Eglon van der Neer Painting

BOSTON, MA.- Research conducted by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), about the provenance, or history of ownership, of its painting Portrait of a Man and Woman in an Interior (1665–67) by Dutch artist Eglon van der Neer (1634–1703), has led to an agreement with the estate of German art dealer Walter Westfeld (1889–1945), enabling the MFA to retain ownership of the work. The Museum decided to reach a financial settlement for the painting with the estate after reviewing recent [...]

First Kristin Baker Exhibition in an American Museum Opens at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

BOSTON, MA.- Exhilarating speed, sweeping movement, and floating shards of translucent color are among the signature elements Kristin Baker incorporates in her paintings to capture the interplay of light, motion, and space. Four large-scale works by the artist, on view for the first time, will be showcased at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) in Kristin Baker: New Paintings, her first solo exhibition at an American museum. Presented from October 2, 2010, to March 27, 2011, the show launches [...]

New Curator Elizabeth Mitchell Announced at Cantor Arts Center at Stanford

STANFORD, CA.- The Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University announces the appointment of Elizabeth Kathleen Mitchell as the new Burton and Deedee McMurtry Curator of Drawings, Prints, and Photographs. Mitchell begins her duties in November, which include the oversight of nearly 7,000 artworks from the 15th to the 20th century from among the Center’s collection of 30,000-plus objects in all media and diverse cultures spanning 5000 years, from ancient China and Egypt to the 21st century. “After an extensive international [...]

Museum of Fine Arts Receives $10 Million Gift from Bank of America

BOSTON, MA.- The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), announces today that it has received a commitment of $10 million from Bank of America, a longtime supporter of the MFA and one of the world’s largest financial institutions. This donation comprises $5 million in funding and $5 million in gifts of art. The funding supports Museum exhibitions, programs, operating expenses, and capital improvements, in addition to special events surrounding the opening in November of the Museum’s new wing for the [...]

First Millet Exhibition in More Than Twenty-Five Years at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

BOSTON, MA.- Jean-François Millet’s depiction of the arresting beauty of the natural world is the subject of Millet and Rural France, an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), that invites visitors to rediscover one of the most important artists of the 19th century. On view September 4, 2010, through May 30, 2011, in the MFA’s Mary Stamas Gallery, the exhibition presents 46 works—many of them rarely seen in the past quarter century—the majority of which are major [...]

Richard Avedon’s Lively Images at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

BOSTON, MA.- Richard Avedon (1923–2004) was the man who brought fashion photography to life. Instead of perpetuating static images of human mannequins posing stiffly in magazines, Avedon depicted his models as real women whose energy and exuberance complemented their modern lifestyles. Considered one of the great image-makers of the 20th century, he redefined fashion photography and his lasting contributions are explored in the traveling exhibition Avedon Fashion 1944–2000, a major retrospective devoted exclusively to his work in this medium. On [...]

Exhibition Showcases 22 Artists, from Jasper Johns to Tara Donovan

BOSTON, MA.- Though richly varied in style, content, and medium, works on view in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), exhibition New Works: Prints, Drawings, Collages share a common thread: they are recently acquired (by purchase, gift, and bequest) and boldly inventive, created by cutting-edge American and European artists. More than 30 prints, drawings, and collages, made from 1960 to the present, are featured in the show, offering an exciting kaleidoscope of images. Many are newly created by emerging [...]

Van Gogh Masterpiece Travels to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

BOSTON, MA.- Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but for Vincent van Gogh, it was a means of self education for the artist in the 1880s, who copied numerous works by Jean-François Millet to teach himself how to draw and paint. The visual dialogue that ensued between master and student is the focus of Visiting Masterpieces, an ongoing series at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), which showcases great art from museums and private collections around the [...]

Boston’s MFA Uses Dassault’s 3D Tech to Study Pyramids

BOSTON, MA.- Dassault Systèmes, a world leader in 3D software solutions and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), one of the world’s most important encyclopedic art museums, today announced that they will join forces in a strategic innovation partnership to bring the power of industrial and experiential 3D to the domain of archaeology. The Giza Archives Project is a digital initiative, housed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. It is [...]

Sargent Masterpiece Travels to Spain for Meeting with Velazquez’s “Las Meninas”

BOSTON, MA.- An historic meeting among some of the art world’s most enigmatic young ladies will take place at the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, where John Singer Sargent’s “The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit” (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1882) and Diego Velázquez’s “Las Meninas” (Museo Nacional del Prado, 1656) will be shown together for the first time. On view March 16 through May 30 as part of the Prado’s series “The Invited Work” Sargent’s painting—one of the [...]

MFA, Boston Appoints Jen Mergel as Senior Curator of Contemporary Art

BOSTON, MA.- Malcolm Rogers, Ann and Graham Gund Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), has announced the appointment of Jen Mergel as the MFA’s Beal Family Senior Curator of Contemporary Art. Mergel, who will join the Museum in February 2010, is presently associate curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in Boston, where she has worked since 2005. “Jen Mergel will play a key role in enhancing the appreciation of contemporary art within the context of [...]