COME CELEBRATE ART!    FOLLOWS ARE MANY EXCITING EXHIBITS AND ART EVENTS.  CONTACT EACH VENUE DIRECTLY FOR CONFIRMATION AND TICKETING.   

CURRENT EVENTS:

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PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM For complete museum and exhibition details visit www.pem.org

EnChroma glasses are now available to color-blind visitors to see artworks in vibrant hues!

.Ambrose Webster, Webster House, Provincetown (detail), 1931. Oil on canvas. The Sheila W. and Samuel M. Robbins Collection. 2015.44.66. Peabody Essex Museum. Photo by Kathy Tarantola/PEM.

DEC. 14 – MAY 4: SAINTS, SINNERS, LOVERS, AND FOOLS…300 YEARS OF FLEMISH ART WORK

Jacob Jordaens, Serenade (As the Old Folks Pipe, the Young Folks Sing) (detail), about 1640–45. Oil on canvas. © The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp The Peabody Essex Museum at| 161 Essex St. in Salem brings this delightful exhibition that explores paintings, sculptures and decorative arts from the 15^th to the 17th century.. During the Renaissance, the region known today as Flanders in Belgium was home to visionary artists who developed radically new ways to depict reality and tell stories that continue to resonate with viewers today. They evoke a sense of wonder as well often a sense of humor. Rarely exhibited masterpieces by Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, Hans Memling, Jan Gossaert, Jan Brueghel, Clara Peeters, Jacob Jordaens, Frans Francken II and Michaelina Wautier will be on display among many others. Global trade brought immense wealth to the so-called ‘Southern Netherlands’, fueling a booming commercial art market there for the first time in European history. This major exhibition is an East Coast presentation that was co-organized by the Denver Art Museum and The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium. Katharina Van Cauteren, Executive Director of The Phoebus Foundation (a Public Benefit Foundation) and curator of the exhibition notes, “we are excited to feature many of The Phoebus Foundation’s Flemish masterpieces at the Peabody Essex Museum. This captivating exhibition is a rollercoaster ride through a rebellious 300 years of Flemish history, guaranteed to captivate a new wave of art enthusiasts!” Approximately 130 works from The Phoebus Foundation and an additional 60 works from PEM’s collection reflect the global ambitions and interconnectedness of Europeans at the time. The retrospect takes visitors on a journey to the Southern Netherlands by setting the scene of this fascinating region including its culture and politics. It reflects Antwerp, on the river Scheldt, which was the most important port in Northern Europe and a strategic hub for trade and finance. Numerous images depict major cosmopolitan Flemish cities, such as Bruges and Ghent that were ultimately home to Europe’s intellectual and business elite. “Flemish painters from the 15th to 17th centuries created extraordinary works of art amid a period of political turmoil and unprecedented prosperity,” said Karina H. Corrigan, PEM’s Associate Director–Collections and the H. A. Crosby Forbes Curator of Asian Export Art, who serves as the coordinating curator of the exhibition at PEM. “Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools will transport visitors to this remarkable time in history and consider the many ways Flemish art and culture has shaped the world we live in today.”

Hans Memling and Workshop, The Nativity, about 1480. Oil on panel. © The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp…And, Artists in Antwerp, Cupboard, 1620–30. Oak and ebony. Collection of Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo  As a form of devotion, prosperous Flemish people purchased paintings, sculptures, rosaries and manuscripts to worship from home. Due to wars and plagues many Europeans turned to the church’s promise of eternal salvation. Thus, some of the most expensive Flemish works of art produced in the 1400s and 1500s were religious paintings commissioned for display in Catholic churches. Painters developed new techniques and formulas including oil paint which gave their works a sense of depth, richness and luminosity that Flemish painters’ landscapes and still life became noted for. The Southern Netherlands became a vibrant center of experimentation for ever more curious scientists, engineers, physicians, botanists, cartographers and humanists. An elaborate piece of furniture in the 1600s was more costly than the average painting. On exhibit is an elaborately carved 17th-century Flemish cabinet from Boston area collectors Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo.

Jan Massijs, Rebus: The World Feeds Many Fools, about 1530. Oil on panel. © The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp   A unique section of the exhibition looks at human folly through works full of jokes and witty double meanings. These amusing paintings also offer a 17th-century cautionary tale: If you act like the fools and sinners portrayed, you might not get into heaven.

Peter Paul Rubens and Paul de Vos, Diana Hunting with Her Nymphs, 1636–37. Oil on canvas. © The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp     In addition, Flemish artists of the Renaissance were inspired by stories from Greek and Roman mythology as well as demonstrating global exploration and colonization by looking at the wider world of maps and scientific discoveries along with the rise in popularity of miniature rooms of wonder, or Wunderkammer called cabinets of curiosities. These possessed a microcosm of the world in miniature.

A selection of natural and man-made wonders in the Saints, Sinners, Lovers, Fools cabinet of wonders at PEM The exhibition concludes with a space evoking one of these Flemish cabinets of wonder from the 1600s, filled with precious porcelain and lacquer, shells, stuffed specimens of animals (including an ostrich) and rare antiquities. Adds Karina H Corrigan. “Flemish artists working during this period produced paintings that are vibrant and beautiful, funny and horrifying, poignant and wondrous — these diverse works reflect the faith, ambitions and curiosity of the Flemish people. The astonishing immediacy of these compositions continues to resonate with viewers more than 500 years after they were painted.”  Adds Karina H Corrigan. “Flemish artists working during this period produced paintings that are vibrant and beautiful, funny and horrifying, poignant and wondrous — these diverse works reflect the faith, ambitions and curiosity of the Flemish people. The astonishing immediacy of these compositions continues to resonate with viewers more than 500 years after they were painted.”  For more information visit www.pem.org

THROUGH FEB. 2: CONJURING THE SPIRIT WORLD…ART, MAGIC AND MEDIUMS

The Peabody Essex Museum at 161 Essex St. in Salem, brings to their museum this uniquely exciting as well as mystical exhibition. It  explores the age of the iconic spiritualists such as the great magician, Harry Houdini; the mind manipulation of Margery the Medium; the King of Card tricks, Howard Thurston; the noted spiritualists, the three Fox Sisters; and others in that genre. Through the utilization of paintings, posters, photographs, stage apparatuses, costumes, film, publications and other objects, PEM transports visitors to that age of “Believe it or Not”! But, whether you’re a believer, skeptic or somewhere in between, everyone can gain a new perspective on our timeless fascination with mediums and magicians, séances and magic shows. For more information visit www.pem.org

THROUGH FEB. 23:  BALLROOM by AGUSTINA WOODGATE

Agustina Woodgate, Ballroom, 2014. Installation view at the Faena Art Center, Buenos Aires. Gift of Anthony Spinello. 2018.40.1-101. Peabody Essex Museum. Photo by Ronnie Arnold, courtesy of Spinello Projects. © Agustina WoodgateThe Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) invites you to reimagine the world of maps and globes in an installation conceived by Argentinian artist Agustina Woodgate. Installed in PEM’s Beale Gallery, this exhibit has been mounted alongside a selection from the museum’s collection of historical navigational instruments that were outmoded by digital navigation many years ago/ In BALLROOM, the gallery floor is filled with globes that have been meticulously sanded to remove all traces of information. This transforms them from what were once vital sources of knowledge into completes mute objects. Trevor Smith, PEM’s Associate Director—Multisensory Experience and Curator of the Present Tense, observes, “Agustina Woodgate’s erosion of familiar geography disorients us. Does her erasure of landmarks and country borders signal our common humanity? Or is the lack of familiar shorelines and mountain ranges a premonition of a world under siege from human carelessness? Ballroom allows us to sit in the space between these interpretations.” “Across cultures and through time, humans have told stories to make sense of unknown environments or unexpected situations,” Smith says. “Centuries ago, mariners charted trade routes across unfamiliar oceans in the service of empires. What were once revolutionary technological tools are now outdated in the era of global satellite navigation systems. The seas on which today’s fortunes rise and fall might be made of data, but the stories we tell ourselves about where we came from and where we are going remain as important as ever.” Include in this exhibition, Woodgate premiers a new video work that she produced with artist and programmer Błaźej Kotowski, in which artificial intelligence is prompted to recreate an erased atlas. The result is numerous uncanny images that provide surprising insight. The artist has said that “This system reverse-engineers the operation I did when I erased the Times Atlas of the World. It renders a new image of the world that is no longer an object of colonial expansion, but a combination of tangible geography, artistic imagination and neural net learning.” Born in Buenos Aires in 1981, Woodgate lives and works between Amsterdam and Buenos Aires. She is best known for her public installations that address social issues by investigating the relationships between people and institutions. Her projects have been commissioned by the Bienal de las Américas, Denver; ArtPort, Tel Aviv; PlayPublik, Poland; DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC; The Bass Museum of Art, Miami; Kulturpark, Berlin; and Mass MoCA, Massachusetts, among others. The artist previously exhibited a series of rugs made from deconstructed plush toys in PEM’s 2018 PlayTime exhibition. Organized by the Peabody Essex Museum, this exhibition is made possible by Carolyn and Peter S. Lynch and The Lynch Foundation. A thank you to James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes, Chip and Susan Robie, and Timothy T. Hilton for being supporters of the Exhibition Innovation Fund. Also, recognition goes to the generosity of the East India Marine Associates of the Peabody Essex Museum. For more information visit www.pem.org

THROUGH JUNE 15, 2025: NARWHAL…REAVEALING AN ARTIC LEGEND

 The Peabody Essex Museum invites visitors to dive deep into the world of narwhals. These unique ocean dwellers, sometimes called the “unicorns of the sea,” spend their lives in the Arctic waters of Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia. Learn about their changing Arctic ecosystem through firsthand accounts of scientists and Inuit community members. Hear soundscapes of the Arctic, including the evocative vocalizations of the narwhal, and touch an 8-foot-long cast of a real narwhal tusk. On view in The Dotty Brown Art & Nature Center, this family-friendly, interactive exhibition is part of PEM’s interdisciplinary Climate + Environment Initiative.

The exhibit includes contemporary Inuit sculptures and prints and a historic book from PEM’s Phillips Library collection. Organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, according to Smithsonian Magazine, “research into tusk function and feeding strategies have brought this elusive animal into the news, while declining sea-ice cover has drawn new attention to its Arctic ecosystem.” The world population of these recognizable creatures is currently estimated to be around 173,000 individuals, but climate change in the Arctic poses a significant threat. “With its remarkable spiral tooth, the narwhal has inspired legends and fascinated people across cultures for centuries,” said Jane Winchell, PEM’s Curator of Natural History and The Sarah Fraser Robbins Director of the Dotty Brown Art & Nature Center. “These mysterious creatures inspire a sense of wonder and are hard to see in person, since they do not survive in zoos and aquariums. You’d have to travel to the Arctic to find them, because they are uniquely adapted to live among sea ice much of the year.” “The future of narwhals is uncertain in a rapidly changing Arctic, but Inuit and scientific communities are collaborating to help us to better understand these animals and help ensure the survival of this beloved species,” said Winchell. Narwhal:

“Revealing an Arctic Legend” is a 229-page companion publication edited by William Fitzhugh, director of the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center. This publication examines the latest research in narwhal biology, art and climate science. Illustrated by more than a dozen photographers and graphic artists. Artists and scientists throughout history celebrate this elusive whale and its extraordinary tusk. From Flemish unicorn tapestries, Inuit traditional knowledge and scientific research comes a tale of discovery from the top of the world, a place where climate change is rapidly transforming one of the harshest environments on Earth. How did the narwhal tusk become the horn of the fabled unicorn? What legends do the Inuit teach about this majestic but elusive denizen? What have scientists discovered about the function of its tusk? Explore with whale biologists as they capture live narwhals to answer questions of narwhal biology, migration, population and behavior. Ponder the evolutionary history of the narwhal through paleontology and genetic science. Contemplate the fate of northern regions, animals and peoples in a rapidly warming Arctic, and experience the insights and observations of Inuit hunters who have lived with the narwhal for thousands of years. This book is available in the PEM Shop. For more information visit www.pem.org

THROUGH  JAN. 3, 2027: ON THIS GROUND …BEING AND BELONGING IN AMERICA

The Peabody Essex Museum located at 161 Essex St. in Salem is opening for the first time, this long term retrospective that surrounds a blend of Native American art and and art from their American collections. More than 250 historical and contemporary works have been extracted from the museum’s vast personal collections, These works of art and artifacts span over more than 10,000 years offering a range of voices, actually modes of expression gleaned from all cultures., The media presented includes sculpture, paintings, textiles and costumes, furniture, decorative arts, works on paper, installations, photography, video, and a re-envisioned period room. All these help to place in context what it means to belong to a community, a place, a family and a nation that has routinely been expressed through numerous works manifested in diverse culture. On This Ground responds to the urgent needs of our time for individuals to embrace the understanding and necessity of community. This is provided with this unique opportunity to express the complexity of our combined histories. By doing so it strives to focus on a future that hopefully will bring more connection and empathy within the multiple cultures. Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, PEM’s Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Executive Director and CEO stated, “Placing these two significant collections in direct dialogue and giving them equal emphasis in a gallery space at this scale is unprecedented among American museums and underscores that the American experience is unimaginable without the inclusion of Native American art, history and culture.” Thus this exhibition helps us understand what it means to belong to family, community, and this place we now call America. By bringing two extraordinary collections of Native American and American art together for the first time in our institution’s history the installation will be responsive to these urgent times by giving our public an opportunity to grapple with the links, continuities, and disjunctions of our complex histories in America in order to shape a more connected and empathetic present and future.” The lead sponsorship is provided by The Henry Foundation, a leader in art funding since 1982. Additional generous support is provided by the TERRA Foundation, The Ellen and Stephen Hoffman Endowment for the Native American Art Department and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. In addition PEM gratefully acknowledges the support of the Native American Fellowship Program. For more information visit www.pem.org

ONGOING: FASHION AND DESIGN GALLERY

The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) has reopened this stunning exhibition which now features the influence of Boston Entrepreneur, Yolanda Cellucci. In 1968, entrepreneur Yolanda Cellucci entered Boston’s fashion scene and changed it forever. The city’s retail fashion scene at the time was robust, so Cellucci forged a business model focused on women’s wear and self-care in a holistic, head-turning way. Her shop Yolanda’s, based in Waltham, Massachusetts, became a hotspot for lavish evening and wedding ensembles. In addition to offering high-profile American and international designs, including pieces by Hollywood favorite Bob Mackie, the store provided style consultations, personal shopping, cosmetology services and a day spa with light refreshments — all under one roof. Throughout the late 20th century, “Yolanda’s” became a household name throughout the region and a watchword for glitz and glamor.

  Fashions from Yolanda Cellucci’s collection    In 2021, Cellucci generously donated her collection of 57 works of fashion and accessories to PEM, along with archival photographs and materials related to the legacy of Yolanda’s. “PEM is honored to be the steward of this singular and highly memorable chapter of fashion history,” said Petra Slinkard, PEM’s Director of Curatorial Affairs and The Nancy B. Putnam Curator of Fashion and Textiles. “With an eye for all things dazzling, Yolanda Cellucci influenced so many women’s lives by encouraging them to embrace their own power and unapologetically command attention as they stepped out into the world,” added Paula Richter, PEM’s Curator overseeing the Yolanda Cellucci collection.

Yolanda Cellucci  Throughout her career, Cellucci hosted fashion shows and galas, showcasing her merchandise and raising funds for charities focused on healthcare, the arts and education. Events at Yolanda’s influenced Boston’s society pages for decades. Now in her 80s, Cellucci continues to make an impression through her cable access TV show, a recently published autobiography Beyond the Glitz and Glamour and a series of books written in her daughter’s memory, Lindy Lou and her Dancing Shoes. PEM’s Fashion and Design gallery, located on the third floor of the museum’s new wing, now boasts more than 100 fresh works from the museum’s global fashion and textile collection, including nearly 40 recent acquisitions that spotlight the vibrant and flamboyant collection of Yolanda.. PEM’s Fashion & Design Gallery also features more than 180 examples of contemporary and historic dress, as well as textiles, accessories, sculpture, studio glass and decorative arts and furniture drawn from PEM’s vast and storied collection. Various objects will be rotated into the gallery such as thirteen new ensembles in the Carl & Iris Barrel Apfel Gallery.; 

Shoes from PEM’s renowned footwear collection…the largest in the U.S.; works that  focus on China’s influence and fashion’s use of the iconic dragon symbol,; objects that speak to the notions of intimidation and empowerment such as fashions by Donna Karan, a rare Salem Zouave uniform, a Nick Cave Soundsuit and the likeness of a Samurai warrior; and a section looking at body modification that includes an 18th century corset paired with a work from the Fall/Winter 2016 collection from the Parisian fashion house;, along with never before-exhibited jewelry from India, Singapore, Myanmar and Indonesia. For more information visit www.pem.org

IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE THERE ARE NUMEROUS VIBRANT AND DIVERSE ONGOING EXHIBITIONS ON DISPLAY AT THE PEM! (www.pem.org)

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  MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BOSTON 

For complete museum and exhibition details visit www.mfa.org

DEC. 21 – JUNE 22:LANDSCAPE AND LABOR…DUTCH WORKS ON PAPER IN VAN GOGH’S TIME

Anton Mauve, Digging up a Tree (detail), about 1860s–80s. Transparent and opaque watercolor. Bequest of Elizabeth A. Cotton.  Although Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) is today perhaps the most famous Dutch artist of all, in his own time he was relatively little known, especially when compared to artists of the Hague School. This group, named for the city where many of its members trained and worked, was comprised of those who had different styles but shared a devotion to the depiction of everyday life, looking to the Dutch countryside for their subjects and themes. The Hague School artists achieved international fame, and in the early 1900s U.S. collectors and museums—including the MFA—eagerly sought their works. But over the decades the group’s fame faded. Now, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), has created an exhibition where visitors can see watercolors, prints, and drawings by artists such as Jan Hendrik Weissenbruch (1824–1903), Anton van Rappard (1858–1892), and Anton Mauve (1838–1888). They represent some of the Hague School at its best. Though they are not now household names in the U.S., these figures had a profound impact on the artists of their time and future generations. Mauve, in particular, played a key role in Van Gogh’s early life and career. Van Gogh himself is also represented here, with two early works. The Hague School artists focused on farmers, fisherfolk, laborers, mills, canals, and dunes as their subjects, in part to convey a patriotic love of the countryside. In the densely populated and rapidly industrializing Netherlands, rural subjects recalled a simpler time and a simpler way of life—both of which were quickly disappearing. This exhibition shines a light once more on a neglected group of artists who, working in a changing time, captured vanishing ways of life using modern artistic styles as their tools .For more information visit www.mfa.org

DEC. 21 – JUNE 22,: ROBERT FRANK CENTENNIALEXHIBITION and PUBLICATION

“Robert Frank: Mary’s Book” is supported by the Shelly and Michael Kassen Fund and The Bruce and Laura Monrad Fund for Exhibitions.The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), celebrates the centennial of photographer Robert Frank’s birth with an exhibition featuring the personal scrapbook he made for his first wife, titled Mary’s Book. Created in 1949 for Mary Lockspeiser, the album consists of 74 small photographs with Frank’s written inscriptions. They reveal his appreciation for the poetic resonance of objects and spaces. Many of the photographs are devoid of people, although their presence is felt everywhere. He muses on the chairs and streets of Paris with messages interspersed for Mary. The book is a reflection on solitary contemplation that reads like a lyrical poem and compelling personal photographic sequence. This one-of-a-kind, handmade album represents a formative moment in Frank’s career as he experiments with text and image juxtaposition. “Robert Frank: Mary’s Book” includes a selection of spreads from the scrapbook in the Museum’s collection as well as photographs Frank took in Paris, on loan from the artist’s foundation. The Publication is based on the exhibition and will be published in early 2025. Written by Kristen Gresh, the MFA’s Estrellita and Yousuf Karsh Senior Curator of Photographs and Stuart Alexander, a Robert Frank scholar, this is the first time “Mary’s Book” will be fully replicated.. The volume will also include insightful essays from leading scholars, that assist in presenting the album and its pivotal place in the trajectory of the artist’s work. “Robert Frank: Mary’s Book” is supported by the Shelly and Michael Kassen Fund and The Bruce and Laura Monrad Fund for Exhibitions.           IN ADDITION, THE MFA  IS CELEBRATING ANOTHER PHOTOGRAPHY CENTENNIAL. In 1924, the Museum received a major gift of 27 photographs from the artist Alfred Stieglitz. It was a landmark donation that made the MFA one of the first major American art museums to collect photographs as fine art, placing the institution at the forefront of photography collecting in the United States. Thus the MFA has been collecting photography as fine art .for 100 years. Thanks to Georgia O’Keeffe, widow of Stieglitz, a second large gift of the photographer’s work was made in 1950. This provided the Museum with what is widely recognized as a near perfect overview of the influential photographer’s career. To celebrate the centennial, a special installation of newly acquired large-scale photography will be on view through June 2025 (in two rotations). Along with the exhibit, as a way to feature the multiple narratives in the MFA’s collection,. a new publication will presents the range of works that were not originally made for museum walls, but rather for documentation, the printed page, science, publicity, journalism and artists’ references. Further information can be found at www.mfa.org

THROUGH DEC. 13, 2026: INTENTIONAL BEAUTY…JEWISH RITUAL ART FROM THE COLLECTION

Elimelekh Tzoref, Torah shield, 1781–82. Silver and parcel gilt with enamel, niello, and stones. Museum purchase with funds donated by the Phillip Leonian and Edith Rosenbaum Leonian Charitable Trust, Jacques Aaron Preis, Trustee.   The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), opens Intentional Beauty: Jewish Ritual Art from the Collection in the Bernard and Barbara Stern Shapiro Gallery in the Art of the Americas Wing. It is the first gallery devoted to Jewish ritual art, or Judaica, at the MFA and in New England. Bringing together 27 objects from Asia, North Africa, Europe and the U.S., the gallery showcases ceremonial items created for the Jewish religious experience that were utilized both at home and in the synagogue. Twenty of these objects are on view at the MFA for the first time. The vast majority of new acquisitions speak to the remarkable geographic and cultural diversity of the Jewish people. This new installation features metalwork, textiles, paintings, furniture and works on paper. This newly dedicated space complements the MFA’s longstanding commitment to integrating Judaica objects and stories across the Museum’s collection galleries, creating dialogues with different cultures and inviting visitors to deepen their engagement. This exhibition is sponsored by the David Berg Foundation. Additional support provided by Lorraine Bressler, the Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation, Inc., Lisbeth Tarlow and Stephen Kay, and The Priebatsch Family Fund, in loving memory of Norman Priebatsch. With special gratitude to Marcia and Louis Kamentsky and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. For more information visit www.mfa.org

THROUGH JAN. 20: O’KEEFE and MOORE

(L): Georgia O’Keeffe, Red Hill and White Shell, 1938. Oil on canvas. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Gift of Isabel B. Wilson in memory of her mother, Alice Pratt Brown. © 2024 Georgia O’Keeffe Museum / Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph © The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Jud Haggard. (R): Henry Moore, Mother and Child, 1978. Stalactite. The Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Michel Muller.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is excited to present the first exhibition that brings Georgia O’Keeffe and Henry Moore into conversation. The beloved American female painter Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986) and noted British sculptor Henry Moore (1898–1986) are among the most distinctive artists of the 20th century. O’Keeffe’s iconic paintings of flowers and Moore’s monumental public sculpture have long been admired for their extraordinary distillations of natural forms into abstraction. Although O’Keeffe worked in New Mexico and Moore in Hertfordshire, England, each artist experimented with unusual perspectives, shifts in scale and layered compositions to produce works that were informed by their surroundings. Despite the fact that O’Keeffe and Moore remained within reach of city life, the two artists worked in rural settings, where they amassed large personal collections of animal bones, stones, seashells and other natural materials that served as key sources of inspiration. This exhibition utilizes compelling visual juxtapositions to assist viewers to expand their usual ways of seeing. The retrospect features over a 150 works by the artists. These include paintings, sculptures, works on paper as well as faithful recreations of each of the artists’ studios containing their tools and found objects. These studio installations create richer portraits of O’Keeffe and Moore. By illuminating the heart of their artistic practice, rarely made visible in museum spaces, they encourage visitors to imagine how they worked and lived. This unprecedented collaboration with 60 works by O’Keefe from the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and 90 works by Moore from the Henry Moore Foundation was organized by the San Diego Museum of Art. In addition, the MFA’s presentation drew upon the Museum’s modernist collection to put O’Keeffe and Moore in dialogue with other mid-20th century artists active in the U.S. and in Europe. Among them are Edward Weston, Barbara Hepworth, Arthur Dove and Jean Arp. These artists also engaged with creating abstraction from nature. “Georgia O’Keeffe and Henry Moore” is supported by the Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Exhibition Fund, the Robert and Jane Burke Fund for Exhibitions, the Eugenie Prendergast Memorial Fund, and the Patricia B. Jacoby Exhibition Fund. For more information visit www.mfa.org

THROUGH FEB. 16: POWER OF THE PEOPLE>>ART AND DEMOCRACY THROUGH THE AGES

With this unique exhibition, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston invites visitors to reflect on the face of democracy from its origin in ancient Greece and on to today. The Charlotte F. and Irving W. Rabb Gallery and Henry and Lois Foster Gallery host this exhibition that demonstrates that throughout history, artists and makers have expressed ideas about democracy and asked citizens to contemplate its promise, participate in its practice, and call for improvements. Organized against the backdrop of the 2024 U.S. presidential election this retrospect presents diverse perspectives on democracy by utilizing 175 works of art. These include ceramics, coins, inscriptions, paintings, sculpture, prints, photographs, posters, and even fashion. From a marble portrait of Socrates, who famously criticized the political system, to a multimedia work by Cambridge-based contemporary artist Tomashi Jackson that explores the history of voter disenfranchisement and suppression in Black communities, the exhibit is drawn almost entirely from the MFA’s own collections. In addition, celebrated works that have been re-contextualized for the exhibition as well as some objects are being viewed for the first time. Any U.S. citizen age 18 and above may register to vote. For more information, visit www.mfa.org

THROUGH NOV. 9, 2025: DEEP WATERS…FOUR ARTISTS AND THE SEA

John Akomfrah, still from Vertigo Sea, 2015. Three-channel HD color video installation, 7.1 sound. 48 minutes, 30 seconds. © Smoking Dogs Films; Courtesy Smoking Dogs Films and Lisson Gallery.   The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston focuses this exhibit on the works of many generations of artists who have explored the beauties and terrors of the ocean by reflecting on the experiences of those who have lived and lost their lives among the waves. The upcoming exhibition “Deep Waters: Four Artists and the Sea”  weaves together artworks by four artists made over centuries and across the Atlantic. The power of the sea can be felt by viewing John Singleton Copley’s “Watson and the Shark” (1778). It in turn, also reverberates in J. M. W Turner’s “Slave Ship” (Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying). In addition, as does, “Typhoon Coming On”) (1840), which also influenced art created in the 21st century..  In conjunction with this exhibit the MFA for the first time in New England, debuts John Akomfrah’s “Vertigo Sea” (2015), This is an iconic three-channel film installation that expands on the themes surrounding the heart of the works exhibited. It explores humanity’s tumultuous relationship with the sea and its creatures, along with the ocean’s role in the history of slavery. In “Some People Have Spiritual Eyes I and II” (2020), photographer Ayana V. Jackson takes these thoughts in a new direction. Jackson’s exploration of divinity, femininity, and destiny through self-portraiture is inspired by Drexciya, a mythical aquatic utopia populated by descendants of the pregnant African women who lost their lives in the Atlantic Ocean during the Middle Passage. On November 21, the MFA hosts Akomfrah for a Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Celebrity Lecture. The artist will dive deeper into his life and work, which is often characterized by investigations into memory, post-colonialism, temporality, and aesthetics, while often exploring the experiences of migrant diasporas globally. For more information and to obtain tickets for the lecture, link here at www.mfa.org

NOW OPEN: BEYOND BRILLIANCE: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE JEWELERY COLLECTION

Wallace Chan, Forever Dancing – Bright Star, 2013. Yellow diamond, fancy colored diamonds, rock crystal, mother-of-pearl, butterfly specimen, pearl, and titanium. Gift of Christin Xing and Rex Wong. Reproduced with permission. Believed to be one of the earliest art forms, examples of jewelry date back more than 100,000 years and tell complex stories about human history. The newly renovated Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation Gallery features 150 highlights from the Museum’s world-renowned jewelry collection. The gallery spotlights ancient artifacts, fine jewelry, costume jewelry and jewelry by contemporary artists while exploring themes of decorative arts, adornment and messaging. Highlights include an ancient Egyptian broad collar necklace; 19th-century works by Castellani and Carlo Giuliano; 20th-century designs by Marcus & Co., Tiffany & Co., and Bulgari; René Boivin’s starfish brooch from 1937; and fashion jewelry by Chanel, Dior, and Elsa Peretti. Also featured are new acquisitions of contemporary jewelry by Christian and Yasmin Hemmerle, Wallace Chan and Feng J. With ornaments crafted over 4,000 years and reflecting global cultures, Beyond Brilliance: Highlights from the Jewelry Collection champions the great depth and breadth of the MFA’s collection. The exhibition is presented in a jewel box-inspired space, organized into thematic groupings. First area surrounds the Decorative Arts section includes outstanding examples of 19th-and 20th-century design movements like Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts, Art Deco, Surrealism and Modernism, demonstrating the deep connection between artistic expression and jewelry. Offering an expanded look at materials used to make jewelry, this section features jewelry made in gold and silver, diamonds, colored gemstones, pearls and plastics. Extraordinary craftsmanship and the mastery of materials are seen in techniques like micromosaic, granulation and enamel.

Castellani, micromosaic lion brooch, about 1870. Gold and glass (micromosaic). Gift of Susan Beth Kaplan.   New acquisitions in this section include a brooch fashioned with the rare Paraiba tourmaline gemstone by Feng J (2021).
The next area is dedicated to Adornment which emphasizes jewelry’s connection to the body and clothing to remind visitors of the creative ways that it has functioned as part of global visual culture spanning thousands of years. For the opening of the gallery, the paper rotation features two 1920s fashion plates to demonstrate how jewelry and fashion function together to create an overall look. This section celebrates new acquisitions by Anna Hu, twentieth-century designs by Marcus & Co. and Bulgari along with fashion jewelry by Chanel and Dior. And, finally, the Messaging section explores how jewelry can be used to communicate—whether to tell private, personal stories or indicate rank, marital status or religious beliefs. This space includes jewelry formerly worn by First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln,

a necklace by Charlotte Newman featuring the profile of Elizabeth I  and a turquoise eagle brooch presented by Queen Victoria to each of her train bearers on her wedding day. A pair of earrings by Hemmerle include the Bavarian crown, paying tribute to the German jeweler’s heritage.   Additionally, a center case in the gallery will rotate annually, featuring objects that together illustrate the timeless human desire to self-fashion, collect and create. The first rotation pays tribute to Italian designer Elsa Peretti, who died in 2021 and is remembered with such designs as the Open Heart pendant and Bone Cuff  bracelets. She is one of the 20th century’s most important designers. For more information regarding this stunning retrospective surrounding the fine art of jewelry, visit www.mfa.org

NOW OPEN: NEWLY TRANSFORMED ARTS OF JAPAN GALLERIES

Ogata Kōrin, Waves at Matsushima (detail), 18th century. Six-panel folding screen; ink, color, and gold on paper. Fenollosa-Weld Collection The collection of Japanese art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), is one of the most comprehensive in the world. Five newly transformed galleries showcasing nearly 200 highlights—including painting, sculpture, decorative arts and selections from the Museum’s vast collection of ukiyo-e prints opened May 11th. Displays will change regularly, presenting icons of the collection and new acquisitions—giving visitors the opportunity to see even more works in a setting that honors and celebrates Japan’s rich history and cultural legacy. The renovations are made possible through the generosity of a community of supporters including individuals, families and corporate partners.The new Arts of Japan galleries include the Japanese Buddhist Temple Room—a visitor favorite— which originally opened in 1909. The contemplative space has been fully renovated and features seven sculptures that have undergone extensive conservation treatment beginning in 2018. A ritual to rededicate the gallery took place on May 11, conducted by a delegation of monks from Miidera, one of the largest temples in Japan. The ritual was simulcasted from the Temple Room to the MFA’s Remis Auditorium, and the monks greeted the public afterward, inviting visitors to explore the newly opened galleries. The MFA has a historic relationship with Miidera, where the early founders of the Museum’s Japanese collection—Ernest Fenollosa, William Sturgis Bigelow and Okakura Kakuzō—studied Tendai Esoteric Buddhism. It is also where Fenollosa and Bigelow are buried today. “The story of Japanese art at the MFA is ever-evolving, and we’re excited to present this next chapter,” said Anne Nishimura Morse, William and Helen Pounds Senior Curator of Japanese Art. “We’re very fortunate to have a truly remarkable collection here in Boston, which was the first of its kind in the U.S. when it was established in 1890 and has since grown into the largest outside Japan. I’m very excited for visitors to see some of their old favorites and discover new works in these galleries, which span from historical to contemporary masterpieces.” The renovation of gallery 280 was made possible with generous support from Caroline and John Rutherfurd. The renovation gallery 278A of the Buddhist Temple Room was generously supported by UNIQLO USA, the Vance Wall Foundation, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Lisbeth Tarlow and Stephen Kay, Bettina Burr, Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd., and Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Cunningham Jr. For further information visit www.mfa.org

CURRENTLY: MICHAELINA WAUTIER EXHIBITION IN THE AMERICAS

The Center for Netherlandish Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston presents the first exhibition in the Americas dedicated to the art of Michaelina Wautier (1614–1689), a painter from Brussels all but forgotten until the recent rediscovery of her work. Now on view, the exhibition is centered around her rare series The Five Senses (1650), a set of five pictures that were virtually unknown until it was acquired by Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo and lent to the MFA in 2020. They are joined by Wautier’s remarkable Self-Portrait (above) on loan from a private collection and on public view in the U.S. for the first time. Wautier’s technique, process and training are mysterious. Few records about her life exist, due in part to her gender. This exhibition, organized by the MFA’s Center for Netherlandish Art in collaboration with a professor and six doctoral students from Brown University, presents new scholarship about the artist and her unusual career as a female painter working in mid-17th-century Brussels. The Five Senses and the Self-Portrait, all of which have only been attributed to Wautier in recent years, are among fewer than 40 known works by the artist. Wautier focuses on boys—a different model in each painting—performing everyday activities in her detailed portrayals of Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste and Touch. Accompanying prints by her predecessors and contemporaries, including Cornelis Cort (1533–1578) and Johannes Gillisz. van Vliet (about 1610–about 1640), demonstrate Wautier’s originality, showcasing how she defied a convention at the time of depicting the senses as experienced by idealized women. In her Self-Portrait, Wautier presents herself both in a formal aristocratic setting and as a professional artist, facing an easel and holding painting tools. Together, these extraordinary pictures are exemplary of Wautier’s unique style and brushwork. Additionally, the exhibition features a print after a now-lost portrait by Wautier from the MFA’s collection that has never been on view. Michaelina Wautier and the Five Senses: Innovation in 17th-Century Flemish Painting is accompanied by the first volume of the digital publication series CNA Studies, available on mfa.org and featuring essays by the six organizing students: Yannick Etoundi, Sophie Higgerson, Emily Hirsch, Regina Noto, Mohadeseh Salari Sardari and Dandan Xu is edited by Professor Jeffrey Muller. The exhibition and the Center for Netherlandish Art’s Gallery for Innovative Scholarship is sponsored by Northern Trust. Additional support from the Government of Flanders – Flanders Investment & Trade. Further information may be found at www.mfa.org

IN ADDITION THERE ARE OVER 26 ONGOING GALLERY HIGHLIGHTS TO EXPLORE AT THE MFA…

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ISABELLA STEWART GARDENER MUSEUM

See complete museum information under “MUSEUMS”  www.gardnermuseum.org 

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INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART

www.icaboston.org    See complete museum information under “MUSEUMS” 

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GALLERIES 

ONGOING:   LANOUE FINE ART GALLERY

Located at 450 Harrison Ave. #31 in Boston (At Thayer Street, on the ground level), in the SOWA ART DISTRICT, this well established gallery hosts outstanding contemporary artists from around the world.   For more information about current and up and coming artists go to www.LanoueGallery.com

ONGOING: MOVIMIENTO GALLERY