An artist’s studio illuminates the heart of their practice.
Our big fall exhibition “Georgia O’Keeffe and Henry Moore” includes faithful recreations of each artist’s studio containing their tools and found objects, generously on loan from @okeeffemuseum and @henrymoorestudios.
O’Keeffe and Moore remained within reach of city life, but both mainly worked in rural settings, each amassing a large personal collection of animal bones, stones, seashells, and other natural materials that served as key sources of inspiration.
These studio installations create richer portraits of each artist by encouraging us to imagine how they worked and lived. Plan your visit now to experience them yourself!
🎟️ We strongly encourage booking your timed-entry tickets in advance, especially for weekend slots.
Getting Ready with MFA Conservation Getting Ready with MFA Conservation
So much work goes into an exhibition before we open our doors.
For months, our conservators, curators, and beyond have been busy preparing works for our big fall exhibition “Georgia O’Keeffe and Henry Moore," which features more than 150 works and recreations of each artist's studio. Organized by the San Diego Museum of Art, the exhibition is an unprecedented collaboration with the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and the Henry Moore Foundation.
🗓️ Member preview begins October 9 before the exhibition opens to the public on October 13—reserve your timed-entry tickets now! http://ms.spr.ly/6186mtY7y
“On October 3, he asked me what day it was.”
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Mean Girls, so we’re checking in with Rajiv Surendra to see what Kevin G has been up to…
Where's Waldo? Or in this case, Where's Dalí? 🔍
Today, we're looking at all the thoughtful references and details in Salvador Dalí's massive painting, "The Ecumenical Council" with Julia Welch, Assistant Curator of Paintings, Art of Europe.
See it in our exhibition "Dalí: Disruption and Devotion"—on view through December 1 and included with general admission!
🖼️: Salvador Dalí (Spanish, 1904–1989), "The Ecumenical Council" (1960), oil on canvas. Collection of The Dalí Museum, St. Petersburg, FL (USA); Gift of A. Reynolds & Eleanor Morse. © 2024 Salvador Dalí, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Artists Rights Society
A Dragon Comes Alive: Preserving a Moving Figure
A certain season finale tonight has us thinking all about dragons 🐉🐉🐉
This 19th-century Japanese articulated dragon is one of the largest of its kind in the world 🤯 Japanese metalworkers used articulation to bring life to metal figures called jizai okimono. They not only look real with their detailed surfaces, but they also can be moved to appear to be living animals with flexible joints! Each scale was forged using the same technique as the many small iron plates that make up a suit of Japanese armor.
Watch as Abby Hykin, Robert P. and Carol T. Henderson Head of Objects Conservation, explains this exceptional dragon’s history, intricate structure and how the MFA has cared for it over the years.
Check it our in our Arts of Japan galleries on your next visit: http://ms.spr.ly/6185l9wWW
Last Chance to See "Hallyu!"
It’s your LAST CHANCE to see “Hallyu! The Korean Wave” on the East Coast before it travels to San Francisco! The exhibition visitors are calling “excellent," “a must-see” and “so much fun!” is only on view through July 28.
📅 Don't miss K-Pop Night on July 26 celebrating the final weekend! Enjoy art making and dancing, then see ensembles worn by your favorite K-pop idols in “Hallyu!”: http://ms.spr.ly/6183lnU2Z
"Hallyu! The Korean Wave" is created by the Victoria and Albert Museum—touring the world. Sponsored by Hyundai Motor (Hyundai Worldwide).
Korean Americans Connect to “Hallyu!”
From 1970 to 1990, over 500,000 Koreans moved to the U.S. and today nearly 2 million people identify as Korean American. As part of our exhibition "Hallyu! The Korean Wave," we present a few of those stories and experiences from the MFA and beyond.
The exhibition features a family-centered work by Boston-based artist Timothy Hyunsoo Lee and family photos lent by MFA staff member Julia Kim. Take a few minutes to listen to Timothy and Julia speak about their Korean roots, their compelling family histories, and what it means not only to connect to an exhibition highlighting Korean and Korean American culture, but to see their work and families represented in “Hallyu!”
See the exhibition before it closes on July 28! http://ms.spr.ly/6186lRRmY
"Hallyu! The Korean Wave" is organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum—touring the world. Sponsored by Hyundai Motor (Hyundai Worldwide).
The Legacy of Japanese Swords
We're here to help sharpen your knowledge of Japanese swords ⚔️
Japanese swords have a rich history and extraordinary craftsmanship. The MFA's collection is the best outside Japan, with about 550 blades—some which are hundreds of years old! On each one, there's more than meets the eye 👀
Hear from Linsly Boyer, associate conservator, Objects Conservation, as she explores the types, makeup, artistry and maintenance of these swords. See them on view in our newly reimagined Arts of Japan galleries on your next visit!
Pendant depicting the ten incarnations of Vishnu Pendant depicting the ten incarnations of Vishnu
This beautiful 18th-century Indian pendant depicts the 10 incarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu.
The painterly image is meant to be hidden—it appears on the backside of the gem-set pendant and would have been positioned close to the heart, directly on the skin or resting against a garment. An important divinity and a protector of law and order, the blue-skinned deity appears in many forms. Starting from the top left and moving clockwise around the pendant, Vishnu is shown in various incarnations outlined in the sacred Hindu text the "Bhagavata Purana."
See it on view now in "Beyond Brilliance: Jewelry Highlights from the Collection": http://ms.spr.ly/6187Y2L2W
💎: Pendant depicting the ten incarnations of Vishnu (Jaipur, India, early 18th century), gold, enamel, with gold, yellow sapphire, diamond, emerald, ruby on obverse
See this work and more on view in our newly transformed gallery dedicated to Japanese prints, made possible by UNIQLO USA.
Hiroshige’s fondness for unusual compositions with strong contrasts between foreground and background is especially apparent in his final masterpiece, the series of vertical views of Edo (modern Tokyo) that was just being completed when the artist died in the cholera pandemic of 1858.
Here we look out through a round window on the second floor of a small restaurant overlooking the Sumida River, with the sliding shōji window panel half open and Mount Tsukuba, north of the city, visible in the distance.
See this work and more on view in our newly transformed gallery dedicated to Japanese prints, made possible by UNIQLO USA!
🎨: Utagawa Hiroshige I (Japanese, 1797–1858), "View from Massaki of Suijin Shrine, Uchigawa Inlet, and Sekiya" from the series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo" (1857), woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Marjorie Merriweather Post Brooch
Each ornament in our renowned jewelry collection has a story to tell ✨
This brooch was a prized possession of the heiress and art collector Marjorie Merriweather Post. The 60-carat emerald was most likely mined in Colombia in the 17th century before it traveled to South Asia. Its front face was probably carved in India in the 17th century, while the back face seems to reflect a later phase of work, possibly in the 18th century. In the late 1920s, the emerald was reworked into this bold Art Deco jewel.
The piece is on view in "Beyond Brilliance: Jewelry Highlights from the Collection," which opens today at noon in the newly renovated Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation Gallery: http://ms.spr.ly/6187YZ8TH
💎: Made by Oscar Heyman Bros. (American, founded in 1912) for Marcus & Co. (American, 1892–1941). Marjorie Merriweather Post brooch (United States, 1929). Platinum, diamond, emerald.
Community Arts Initiative: Our Family Portrait
For our annual Community Arts Initiative Artist Project, Boston-based artist Timothy Hyunsoo Lee worked with more than 150 students from 12 partner organizations around the city to make a work that represents their communities and their birth and chosen families.
In addition to regular visits at each group’s community center, the students spent time with Lee in the MFA's galleries, looking at family portraits made by a variety of artists over the centuries. They then envisioned their own ideas of community and family life through the practice of cyanotype. One of the earliest forms of camera-less photography, the cyanotype process produces distinctive blue-toned prints through the exposure of photosensitive salts to light.
Their final collaborative artwork is now on view in the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art: http://ms.spr.ly/6184YkarK
The Community Arts Initiative is generously supported by the Linde Family Foundation. The program, now in its 19th year, introduces youth to the Museum’s collection and the art-making process, while also helping them understand how art can be an important part of their lives.