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

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

 

THROUGH DEC. 1: DALI…DISRUPTION AND DEVOTION

Salvador Dalí, The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory (detail), 1952–54. Oil on canvas. Collection of the Dalí Museum. Gift of A. Reynolds and Eleanor Morse.  The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) opens their  first-ever Boston Exhibition of the works of the famous artist, Salvador Dalí (1904–1989). It explores the artist’s traditional Influences with a retrospective that includes his often noted, and seemingly outlandish and iconoclastic works the artist became so famous for. Yet, his bizarre imagery and unique Surrealist vision were always deeply rooted in tradition as Dalí revered, studied and emulated his European predecessors from centuries past. He embraced the diverse influences extracted from known artists from Spain, the Low Countries and Italy throughout his long career. European masterpieces from the MFA’s collection are juxtaposed with nearly 30 paintings and prints that are on loan from the Salvador Dalí Museum located in St. Petersburg, Florida. These include portraits, religious scenes and still-life by Velázquez, El Greco and Orazio Gentileschi, among others. In addition to these illuminating pairings, the MFA’s first-ever Dalí exhibition is highlighted by some of the artist’s most well-known works, such as Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory (1952–54). It is noted to be his single most famous picture that he had painted decades earlier. Other examples of Dali’s works reveal optical illusions and double images which are also hallmarks of his Surrealism. And too, following the death of his father, he created works that highlighted Dali’s technical mastery such as the monumental Ecumenical Council (1960) that is included in the exhibit.

This retrospect presents a unique take on one of the most celebrated and avant-garde artists of the 20th century by uniquely placing him in dialogue with some of the great painters who came before him. For more information visit www.mfa.org

THROUGH DECEMBER 1: PHOTOGRAPHS BY BARBARA BOSWORTH (THE  MEADOW)

Barbara Bosworth, The Meadow (detail) from the series The Meadow, 2003. Inkjet print. Scott Offen Collection. © Barbara Bosworth. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Highlights in New Exhibition this exciting new exhibit. In 1996 artist Barbara Bosworth (b. 1953) began photographing a meadow in Carlisle, Massachusetts, just northwest of Boston. Returning regularly over the next 15 years, she used a large-format camera to capture images of the land at different times of day and in all seasons. Through the resulting series of photos, called The Meadow, Bosworth carries on a long-standing tradition of New England artists, poets and naturalists who have chronicled the passage of time and traces of human presence in beautiful yet quietly unspectacular landscapes like this one. Featuring a dozen large-format color photographs as well as several small contact prints, this exhibition gives visitors a glimpse into Bosworth’s unique and evolving vision of the meadow. Although seemingly humble and unassuming, the area, as rendered patiently through Bosworth’s lens, the images reveal a rich diversity of life—from an ever-changing expanse of sky above to a profusion of native ferns, flowers, fireflies, lichen, mushrooms, caterpillars, apple trees and even ants below. Together with her friend, writer Margot Anne Kelley, Bosworth invited scientists, urban foragers, archeologists and local historians on walks through the meadow. With the help of their expertise she came to better understand the land that provided her subject matter. The meadow is located in a part of Carlisle that once was Concord (founded in 1635), and stands not far from the Concord River. Originally called Musketaquid—meaning “marsh grass river” in the Algonquian language—the area was hunted, fished and cultivated by Native peoples for thousands of years. European settlers gradually transformed the landscape into farming fields and pastures but, more recently, some of it, including the meadow, has been set aside as conservation land protected from development. Further information may be obtained at www.mfa.org

THROUGH DEC. 1: LANDSCAPES OF THE MIND by HYMAN BLOOM

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is showcasing drawings by Hyman Bloom (1913–2009).In 1955 Hyman Bloom began visiting the small town of Lubec, Maine which was, at that time, a good ten-hour drive from his home in Boston. Lubec’s unspoiled forests inspired him to draw with ambition, focus and scale that few of his contemporaries came close to matching. The resulting works reveal a desire to capture the primal character of the wilderness. Focusing on its life cycle of birth, death and transformation as well as its pervading mysticism and belief in nature’s correspondence to the psyche, Bloom’s Landscapes are unparalleled and invite visitors into the artist’s imagination to experience nature as he did. Focused on Bloom’s drawings, the works on view brilliantly communicate volume, shading, light and line, showing Bloom to be a technically gifted draftsman who holds his own with any other in history. These are not one-to-one copies of what Bloom saw; they pull from memory and photographs he took in the woods, but are essentially colored by a one-of-a-kind creative vision. At once imaginary and real, Bloom’s drawings bring art to life through a distinct and innate ability to conjure the spirit. Many works in the exhibition are part of a gift from Stella Bloom, the artist’s widow. This transformational gift helps the MFA in its aspiration to become the collection of record for this important Boston artist. For more information visit 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 

THROUGH MAY 12: RAQIB SHAW: BALLADS OF EAST AND WEST

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 25 Evans Way in Boston hosts this stunning immersion exhibition that was co-curated with noted historian and curator, Dr. Zehra Jumabhoy that was originally organized by the Frist Museum in Nashville, TN. This exhibition proffers an invitation to visitors to see the world as versioned by Raqib Shaw. He refers to the world as, “An amalgamation, a hybrid, a cocktail.” Thus the Gardner Museum has chosen to unfold them across three locations of the museum. First on notes the newly commissioned work that has been placed on the Anne H. Fitzpatrick façade of the contemporary wing. Next, visitors can take a deep dive into Shaw’s process in the Palace’s Fenway Gallery. Finally, viewers are drawn to the Hostetter Gallery in the New Building to embrace twelve years of paintings by Shaw. Similar to Shaw’s view on the world, visitors will realize as Shaw encourages, “The more you look, the more it will reward you.” Raqib Shaw is an internationally renowned painter who has leaned toward reinventing paintings by the great masters.

For years, the now 50 year old Shaw has artfully articulated a dialogue between East and West. At 29 years of age, Shaw had his first major solo show and has continued to ride toward stellar heights since then. Based in London, the artist lived most of his childhood in the Indian city of Srinagar, a ‘Heaven on Earth’ encircled by pristine Himalayan mountains, crystal lakes, and exquisite gardens. Now, marred by political insurgencies, his magical Kashmir he knew as a child no longer exists. For Shaw, Kashmir represents a trampled Eden—a paradise lost—and references to the beauty and trauma of his childhood abound in his work. His works are flamboyant, fantastical, and extremely labor-intensive.

They are puzzles that always include certain key ingredients: self-portraiture, landscapes in peril, references to historic painting, or moments from his own life. Shaw frequently depicts himself as satyr, a joker, a saint, a philosopher, or a blue-skinned divinity clad in sumptuous robes. The sensuous, glossy intensity of the jewel-like painting surface is rendered in infinite colors and shades with painstaking technique rendered in enamel paint, applied with porcupine quills to birch wood panels. From Boston, Raqib Shaw: Ballads of East and West will head to The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas from June 9 through September 2, 2024 and then on to he Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California from November 15, 2024 through March 20, 2025. For more information surrounding this and other exhibits as well as scheduled events, visit 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