Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Open to infinite possibilities inspired by art, together we’re creating a community where all belong. The MFA is open.
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Open to new ideas that broaden our perspectives. Open to every visitor, from the curious to the lifelong learner. Open to new possibilities discovered through art. Showcasing ancient artistry and modern masterpieces, local legends and global visionaries, our renowned collection of nearly 500,000 works tells the story of the human experience—a story that holds unique meaning for everyone. We welcom

e diverse perspectives, both within the artwork and among our visitors. Where many worldviews meet, new ways of seeing, thinking, and understanding emerge. The conversations we inspire bring people together—revealing connections, exploring differences, and creating a community where all belong.

Manet was one of the first great painters of modern urban life. He was born on this day in 1832! 🥳 "Street Singer" is on...
01/24/2025

Manet was one of the first great painters of modern urban life. He was born on this day in 1832! 🥳

"Street Singer" is one of his most celebrated works. One day, while walking through the streets of Paris, he saw a street musician leaving a café, awkwardly clutching her guitar and a parcel of cherries, hitching up her skirt to facilitate her steps. He asked her to pose for for him, but she laughed and ran away.

Although "Street Singer" was ultimately created in the studio using his favorite model, Victorine Meurent, it retains the impact of Manet's initial experience—including the swiftly brushed glimpse of a petticoat as the woman lifts her skirt, her enigmatic expression, and the blurred impression of an aproned waiter beyond the swinging doors.

🖼️: Edouard Manet (French, 1832–1883), "Street Singer" (about 1862), oil on canvas

The quiet beauty of a cold winter's night ❄️ 🎨: Emile Branchard (American, 1881–1938), "Winter Night" (1930s), oil on pa...
01/22/2025

The quiet beauty of a cold winter's night ❄️

🎨: Emile Branchard (American, 1881–1938), "Winter Night" (1930s), oil on paperboard

We're honored to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today with our annual MLK Day Open House in partners...
01/20/2025

We're honored to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today with our annual MLK Day Open House in partnership with Citizens!

Museum admission is free for Massachusetts residents! Stop by from 10 am–5 pm to enjoy art making, performances, gallery tours and more.

🎨: Hakim Raquib (American, born in 1946), "Dream King" (1991), photogravure. National Center of Afro-American Artists, Roxbury. See it on view today in "Power of the People: Art and Democracy."

A Monet snow day ❄️Looking for the perfect snow day plan? MFA admission is free tomorrow for Massachusetts residents in ...
01/20/2025

A Monet snow day ❄️

Looking for the perfect snow day plan? MFA admission is free tomorrow for Massachusetts residents in honor of MLK Day! Escape the cold and join us from 10 am–5 pm.

🖼️: Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926), detail of "Boulevard Saint-Denis, Argenteuil, in Winter" (1875), oil on canvas

Many consider Elsa Peretti to be the most important designer of the 20th century. Born in Florence and raised in Rome, P...
01/18/2025

Many consider Elsa Peretti to be the most important designer of the 20th century.

Born in Florence and raised in Rome, Peretti spent much of her life in Spain. However, she is remembered for her years in New York and her half-century partnership with Tiffany & Co. Peretti created timeless designs that are as sought after today as when she first envisioned them decades ago. The Bone Cuff is one of her earliest designs—see it on view in our Kaplan Jewelry Gallery alongside more of her work!

🎨: Designed by Elsa Peretti (Italian, 1940–2021), retailed by Tiffany & Co. (American, active 1837–present), Large Bone Cuff bracelet (about 1978), sterling silver. © Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation.

The way these guys play is museum-worthy 🏀🌟We’re excited to be part of the Boston Celtics 2025 NBA All-Star campaign. Ja...
01/17/2025

The way these guys play is museum-worthy 🏀🌟

We’re excited to be part of the Boston Celtics 2025 NBA All-Star campaign. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday have our vote!

Head to celtics.com/vote—voting closes on January 20 🗳️

Ring in the Year of the Snake! 🐍Join us from 5–10 pm on January 30 to celebrate the Lunar New Year with $5 admission. Ex...
01/17/2025

Ring in the Year of the Snake! 🐍

Join us from 5–10 pm on January 30 to celebrate the Lunar New Year with $5 admission. Explore Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese art from our collection, enjoy performances and demonstrations by local groups, listen to talks in the galleries and more!

Join us at the Museum to ring in the Year of the Snake!

Nearly two centuries later,  's Great Wave continues to inspire 👉 Swipe to see some of the T-shirts from our latest coll...
01/16/2025

Nearly two centuries later, 's Great Wave continues to inspire 👉 Swipe to see some of the T-shirts from our latest collaboration with UNIQLO USA 🌊

The full line includes six T-shirts that offer a contemporary take on works by ukiyo-e masters Kuniyoshi and Hiroshige in addition to Hokusai 🛍️ The T-shirts are available online, in UNIQLO stores, and at the MFA Shop: http://ms.spr.ly/6185U8n9B

🖼️: Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, 1760–1849), "Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa-oki nami-ura)", also known as the "Great Wave," from the series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjûrokkei)" (Japanese, Edo period, about 1830–31). Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on this day in 1929.  We're honored to celebrate his legacy on January 20 with our a...
01/15/2025

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on this day in 1929. We're honored to celebrate his legacy on January 20 with our annual MLK Day Open House in partnership with Citizens!

We're offering free admission from 10 am–5 pm for Massachusetts residents, including access to "Georgia O'Keeffe and Henry Moore" on the exhibition's final day. Stop by to enjoy drop-in art making, dance performances, free guided tours, and a Spotlight Talk from an MFA curator on this quilt by Faith Ringgold: http://ms.spr.ly/6180oCOky

🎨: Faith Ringgold (American, 1930–2024) "Dream 2: King & The Sisterhood" (1988), acrylic on canvas, pieced, dyed, and printed fabric

Five students from the MFA's Teen Programs organized our new exhibition from start to finish! 👏 "Curated by Teens: Death...
01/13/2025

Five students from the MFA's Teen Programs organized our new exhibition from start to finish! 👏

"Curated by Teens: Death as a Constant Companion," explores death and decay. Collaborating closely with our Center for Netherlandish Art, the teens developed the theme, selected artworks, designed the gallery space, and wrote the text.

In addition to providing firsthand curatorial training, this experience gave the teen curators a platform to share their unique perspectives and insights with a wide audience.

See their finished project in the Center for Netherlandish Art’s Gallery for Innovative Scholarship: http://ms.spr.ly/6184oCz2s

🖼️: David Teniers the Younger (Flemish, 1610–1690), "Butcher Shop" (1642), oil on panel

Bon voyage, Boit daughters—see you next spring! On the occasion of  's birthday, we wanted to let you know that his belo...
01/12/2025

Bon voyage, Boit daughters—see you next spring!

On the occasion of 's birthday, we wanted to let you know that his beloved painting "The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit" is leaving our galleries temporarily as it travels to our friends at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and Musée d'Orsay for "Sargent and Paris." Sargent painted this iconic work in Paris in the autumn of 1882! 🇫🇷

The painting's last day on view is March 3—come and say hello to the sisters before their big trip! We'll be excited to welcome them back home to Boston next spring.

In these self-portraits, Ayana V. Jackson offers an Afro-futurist response to the history of the Atlantic slave trade. J...
01/11/2025

In these self-portraits, Ayana V. Jackson offers an Afro-futurist response to the history of the Atlantic slave trade.

Jackson, who created the images on the coast of South Africa, poses herself as an inhabitant of Drexciya. Mythologized by Detroit hip-hop artists in the 1990s, this imaginary underwater kingdom is populated by the children of the pregnant women who were thrown overboard or jumped to their deaths during the Middle Passage. The dress the artist wears is made from Ghanaian currency, a commentary on how African lives were bought, sold, and exchanged—reduced from people into objects for capital gain.

These newly acquired works are on view in our exhibition "Deep Waters: Four Artists in the Sea." Learn more: http://ms.spr.ly/6187o43vt

🖼️: Ayana V. Jackson (American, born in 1977), "Some people have spiritual eyes I" (2020) and "Some people have spiritual eyes II" (2020). Archival pigment prints on German etching paper.

Islamic communities have a long history of importing and collecting Chinese ceramics. These highly prized objects inspir...
01/11/2025

Islamic communities have a long history of importing and collecting Chinese ceramics. These highly prized objects inspired the creation of new works of art, settings for their display, and occasions for their use. In this way, Chinese ceramics became integral to the arts of Islamic cultures.

Buildings with special niches to house and display ceramics and other precious objects were designed across the Safavid, Ottoman, and Mughal empires—most famously the Safavid Chini-khana (“China house” in Persian) in Ardabil, Iran.

The design of this section of our Arts of Islamic Cultures Gallery takes its form from these buildings and the treasures that inspired them.

Don't miss the Boston Festival of Films from Iran at the MFA! Discover new and restored gems, including the Golden Globe...
01/10/2025

Don't miss the Boston Festival of Films from Iran at the MFA! Discover new and restored gems, including the Golden Globe-nominated film "The Seed of the Sacred Fig."

🎞️ The festival runs from January 17 to February 7.

The Boston Festival of Films from Iran returns, showcasing new and restored gems from a country that has consistently produced some of the world’s most compelling cinema in spite of stringent artistic censorship. This year’s lineup includes Universal Language, a whimsical New Wave-inspired comed...

This little gem is a 19th-century Jewish marriage ring 💍Although there was originally no requirement for a ring to be us...
01/09/2025

This little gem is a 19th-century Jewish marriage ring 💍

Although there was originally no requirement for a ring to be used in Jewish weddings, in the medieval period it became a customary part of the marriage ceremony, probably under the influence of surrounding cultures.

There is a tradition that the Jewish wedding ring be a simple band, preferably in gold, without decorations and gemstones. More elaborate rings like this one, with a small architectural form at the top symbolizing the Temple of Jerusalem, are believed by some to have been kept by the synagogue and shared by community members, to be worn only on the day of the marriage ceremony.

💍: Jewish Marriage Ring (Central European, 19th century, in the 16th–century style), gold, enamel. See it on view in "Beyond Brilliance: Jewelry Highlights from the Collection" in our Kaplan Jewelry Gallery!

Through painting and sculpture, Georgia O'Keeffe and Henry Moore closely studied the interplay of interior and exterior ...
01/08/2025

Through painting and sculpture, Georgia O'Keeffe and Henry Moore closely studied the interplay of interior and exterior forms, exploring how different layered and enveloped arrangements could evoke feelings of protection, shelter, and mystery.

❗ It's your last chance to see "Georgia O’Keeffe and Henry Moore" on view at the MFA—the major exhibition closes on January 20! We strongly encourage booking your timed-entry tickets in advance, especially for weekend slots: http://ms.spr.ly/6181o0wLL

🎨: Henry Moore (British, 1898–1986), "Working Model for Locking Piece" (1962), bronze. The Henry Moore Foundation: gift of the artist.

🎨: Georgia O’Keeffe (American, 1887–1986), "Jack‑in‑the‑Pulpit No. 3" (1930), oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Layers are your friend this week 🥶 Bundle up, Boston! 🖼️: Mary Stevenson Cassatt (American, 1844–1926), "Ellen Mary in a...
01/07/2025

Layers are your friend this week 🥶 Bundle up, Boston!

🖼️: Mary Stevenson Cassatt (American, 1844–1926), "Ellen Mary in a White Coat" (about 1896), oil on canvas

Everyone's talking about   today, so here's a great one!This double cup in the form of a globe is a masterpiece of both ...
01/05/2025

Everyone's talking about today, so here's a great one!

This double cup in the form of a globe is a masterpiece of both Renaissance goldsmith's work and cartography. The engraving of the globe is based on the 1578 edition of Abraham Ortelius' "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Theater of the World)," considered to be the first commercial atlas. Above the globe is set an armillary sphere, an early astronomical device representing the Earth at the center of the great circles of the heavens.

🌎: Attributed to Abraham Gessner (Swiss, 1552–1613), Covered cup (Globuspokal) (about 1580–90), silver, partially gilded. Find it on view in our Kunstkammer Gallery!

Address

465 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA
02115

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Monday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 10pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

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+16172679300

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