With spectacular exhibitions ongoing and a host of new gallery openings, this summer is the perfect time to visit one of Boston's many esteemed museums. Among other special programs, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston will be offering visitors free admission to its special show "Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese: Rivals in Renaissance Venice." The MFA also recently reopened several galleries as part of its ongoing renovation and reorganization campaign, and just across the street, the unique Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum will also host a number of special events. The next few months will provide Bostonians excellent opportunities to interact with art, and many of them will be free of charge.
"9 in '09"
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston recently launched a new initiative, "9 in '09," which grants free admission to all visitors one day per month for the rest of 2009. Although Tufts students are always admitted to the MFA free of charge, on Memorial Day (May 25), the museum will also offer free admission to the spectacular special show, "Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese: Rivals in Renaissance Venice," which is usually an additional fee. The days of free admission over the summer are Memorial Day (Monday, May 25), which will also feature special activities in the museum, Father's Day (Sunday, June 21), Sunday, July 19, Friday, Aug. 28 and four other dates in the fall. In addition to these special days, the MFA will also continue to offer its regular free admission program on Wednesday nights after 4 p.m. giving Bostonians even more chances to appreciate this world-renowned art collection.
Gods and goddesses, sketches and paintings
As part of its ongoing renovation campaign, the MFA recently opened the Sargent Rotunda Gallery. Situated one level below famed painter John Singer Sargent's murals in the Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Rotunda and Colonnade, the exhibition, "John Singer Sargent and Mural Decoration," gives visitors the opportunity to explore Sargent's preparatory process for the grand ceiling paintings he was commissioned to complete for the MFA in the early 20th century. The museum's gorgeous ceiling features many paintings with classical themes, and this exhibition displays a number of the preparatory paintings for the ceiling with detailed explanation of the subjects depicted in each preparatory work.
The gallery also features "an interactive kiosk" with explanations of the mural campaigns and will, according to Kelly Gifford, public relations manager for the MFA, soon include "two ... platforms in the center of the Sargent Rotunda with mirrors that are ...tilted so you can see the preparatory works on the wall and then when you look into the mirrors ... [they will] reflect the murals above." She said that this will allow visitors to "get a sense of ... the preparatory work and then [see] what ended up happening on the ceiling with the mural."
Picasso, Pollock and Matisse
Filled with paintings by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Jackson Pollock, the new 20th-Century Art Gallery at the MFA is sure to become very popular. The gallery's dark walls make the paintings stand out and its arrangement allows visitors to see the progression of artists over the span of their careers. One wall in particular features three paintings and one sculpture by the renowned Spanish artist, Picasso. All three paintings depict women, but in very different ways, and it is fascinating to view Picasso's progression, which had such a great effect on the artists that worked with and would follow him. In addition, Picasso's sculpture, "Head of a Woman" (1909), is situated in front of the paintings and, according to the label, "generally considered to be the first Cubist sculpture," it provides visitors another way to appreciate this dynamic artist.
The gallery also features a similar setup of paintings and a sculpture by famed artist Matisse. This allows viewers to draw connections between Matisse's painting and sculpture, and these works are surrounded by others created by his contemporaries. It is an exciting new space, located just off the special exhibition space for contemporary art, and is well worth a visit.
The Italian Renaissance revisited
Just off of the MFA's grand staircase is the newly opened Italian Renaissance Gallery. The space is very relatively narrow, but the museum has used this to its advantage by displaying works in such a way that visitors can't help but interact with them on a personal level. The gallery houses a mixture of sculpture, painting and other items and presents a good overview of Italian Renaissance Art. One particularly engrossing sculpture is Donatello's relief of "Madonna in the Clouds." Although it is carved in marble, the artist has rendered the figures and surroundings so softly that it seems the sculpture was carved of a real cloud. The piece seems simple at first glance but possesses a great degree of detail in its multiple layers, and the work, like many others in this intimate gallery, is very moving. In addition, explanations in the gallery help visitors further understand this immensely important period that forever altered the art world
After hours in a Venetian palazzo
Isabella Stewart Gardner, the eccentric Boston millionaire who assembled a world-renowned collection of art over her lifetime that she then arranged in her own museum inspired by a Venetian palace, would be well pleased with the events occurring in her museum this summer. The museum does not admit Tufts students free of charge, but over the course of the summer, it will be open on several evenings from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. for music and cocktails as part of the Gardner After Hours program. The dates for these special evenings are May 21, June 18, July 16 and Aug. 20, and the museum will also holding a Neighborhood Nights celebration, during which families will be admitted to the museum for free for special evenings of music presentations. The Gardner Museum will also house several exciting special exhibitions to complement its superb permanent collection.
