Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The sartorial spirit of the Jazz Age is squarely rooted in Blackness and Black American culture. A shimmering dress designed by Bob Mackie, which was made in the 1980s but takes inspiration from the flapper style of the 1920s, has taken center stage in a new installation in our Art and Jazz Gallery 🎶 After the Civil War and throughout the early 20th century, to be modern was in essence to embrace Blackness. From head to toe, the glamorous stylized looks of jazz legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Etta James, Eartha Kitt, Bessie Smith, Sarah Vaughn, and Dinah Washington were highly coveted and mimicked by white women. From the highly coiffed hairstyles to the dresses that emphasized the dances of the day, jazz audiences in Boston and throughout the United States clamored to emulate their idols. ✨ Don’t miss this new display on the third floor of our Art of the Americas Wing!

In honor of #HispanicHeritageMonth, join us on September 26 for an evening celebrating Latinx heritage and culture, presented in partnership with Amplify LatinX and IBA - Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción! We're offering $5 admission from 5–10 pm—no advance tickets, just grab yours at the door 🎟️ Catch live music and dance performances, enjoy talks in the galleries, see works by Latinx artists like Roberto Lugo, and more! http://ms.spr.ly/6047mrKVt 🎨: Roberto Lugo (Puerto Rican, born in 1981), “Law and Order: The Reincarnation of Frederick Douglass” (2017), porcelain, china paint, luster. Image by KeneK Photography courtesy of Wexler Gallery. ______________ En honor al #MesDeLaHerenciaHispana, acompáñenos este 26 de septiembre para disfrutar de una noche en celebración de la herencia y cultura Latinx, presentada en colaboración con Amplify LatinX y IBA - Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción! Estaremos ofreciendo admisión general por $5 de 5 a 10 pm—no es necesario comprar boletos por adelantado, podrá adquirirlos a la entrada del museo. 🎟️ Disfrute de música en vivo, presentaciones de baile, charlas en las galerías, obras de arte por artistas Latinx como Roberto Lugo, ¡y más! http://ms.spr.ly/6047mrKVt 🎨: Roberto Lugo (puertorriqueño, nacido en 1981), “Law and Order: The Reincarnation of Frederick Douglass” (2017), porcelana, pintura de china, lustre. Imagen por KeneK, cortesía de Wexler Gallery. ______________ Em homenagem ao #MêsDaHerançaHispânica, junte-se a nós dia 23 de setembro para uma noite de celebração da herança latina e suas culturas, em parceria com Amplify LatinX e IBA - Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción! Os ingressos são $5, das 5pm às 10pm - não precisa comprar antecipadamente, é só comprar na porta! 🎟️ Assista a música ao vivo e performances de dança, aproveite palestras e conversa pelas galerias de arte, veja trabalhos de artistas latines, como Roberto Lugo e mais! http://ms.spr.ly/6047mrKVt 🎨: Roberto Lugo (porto-riquenho, nascido em 1981), “Law and Order: The Reincarnation of Frederick Douglass” (2017), porcela, tinta chinesa, luster. Imagem por KeneK, cortesia de Wexler Gallery. #LatinxHeritageMonth #HispanicHeritageMonth #MesDeLaHerenciaHispana #MesDeLaHerenciaLatinx

This image is part of a group of photographs Kevin Bubriski took in the weeks and months following the events of September 11, 2001, in Lower Manhattan. Rather than try to represent the devastation of the architectural site, Bubriski focused his camera on the varied expressions on the faces of those visiting where the skyscrapers once stood, resulting in documents of collective and personal processes of mourning, anxiety, uncertainty, and loss. 📷: Kevin E. Bubriski (American, born in 1954), "Untitled," from the series "World Trade Center, New York City" (2001), photograph, gelatin silver print. © Kevin Bubriski.

Meet Amy Waywell, our new Director of Membership! "I am a lifelong museum and art lover and therefore understand firsthand how transformative a positive museum experience can be for visitors. I instinctively decided on the museum profession after an exciting school fieldtrip in the fourth grade, and my continually rewarding career that followed has spanned living history sites, historic house museums, and now the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. After 13 years at the MFA in the Member and Visitor Services department, I am excited to start this new Membership role and kick off an incredible year of programs."

American painter Georgia O'Keeffe and British sculptor Henry Moore are among the most distinctive artists of the 20th century. They have long been admired for their extraordinary distillations of natural forms into abstraction—O'Keeffe's iconic paintings of flowers and bones, and Moore's monumental public sculptures. Through more than 150 works, our major fall exhibition "Georgia O’Keeffe and Henry Moore" is the first to bring these two artists together, using compelling visual juxtapositions to explore their common ways of seeing. 🎟️ Members have early access to tickets starting NOW before they go on sale to the public next week on September 10! http://ms.spr.ly/6047mD9M5 "Georgia O’Keeffe and Henry Moore" opens to members on October 9, and to the general public on October 13. 🎨: Georgia O'Keeffe (American, 1887–1986), "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. 🎨: Henry Moore (English, 1898–1986), "Mother and Child" (1978), Stalactite. The Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Michel Muller.

Enjoy FREE ADMISSION on September 14 thanks to UNIQLO! We're celebrating our newly reopened Arts of Japan galleries with free general admission all day and art making for the whole family: http://ms.spr.ly/6041l7W19 🎨: Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, 1760–1849), "Plum Blossoms and Moon" from the album "Fuji in Spring" (1803), woodblock print; ink and color on paper

This #WorldPhotographyDay, we're celebrating 100 years of photography at the MFA! In 1924, the Museum received a major gift of 27 photographs from the artist #AlfredStieglitz—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. Over the century, the collection has grown and been transformed, thanks to collectors, donors, curators, and artists. All photographs by Alfred Stieglitz (American, 1864–1946): 📷: "Georgia O'Keeffe: A Portrait (14)" (1923), photograph, gelatin silver print 📷: "Dancing Trees" (1922), photograph, palladium print, artist-applied coating 📷: "Dorothy True" (1919), photograph, gelatin silver print, artist-applied coating 📷: "Songs of the Sky in Five Pictures (No. 3)" (1923), photograph, gelatin silver print 📷: "From the Back Window—"291" (1)" (1915), photograph, platinum print, artist-applied coating

On Wednesdays we look at watercolors! 🎨 You might know Rajiv Surendra from his iconic role as Kevin G in Mean Girls, but we know him as John Singer Sargent's biggest fan. 📺 Check out Rajiv's YouTube channel to hear about his visit to our Morse Study Room: http://ms.spr.ly/6043lq9Ct

Do you know the story behind the Phryges, the mascots of the 2024 Paris Olympics? 🤔 Phryges, or soft, pointed caps, have symbolized freedom across time and cultures. The ancient Romans adopted them from the ancient Phrygians who lived in what is now Turkey and wore them to distinguish free men from the enslaved. Centuries later, the cap became popular during the French Revolution, when it was called the “bonnet rouge,” worn by revolutionaries and depicted atop or held by female personifications of Liberty. It was then revived during the American Revolution and used in American art and coins in the early 19th century. Many examples can be found across the Museum, including this one in our Art of the Americas Wing!

We're excited to announce the appointment of Jared Katz as Pappalardo Curator of Musical Instruments! He currently serves as Associate Curator of the Americas and Africa and Assistant Professor of the Practice at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame. Katz will assume his new role at the MFA on September 9, taking the lead in shaping the vision for the Museum’s collection of 1,300 musical instruments from around the world, which ranges from ancient times to the late 20th century. “I am delighted to be joining the staff at the MFA as the Pappalardo Curator of Musical Instruments. I am passionate about using music and musical instruments to celebrate a wide array of cultures throughout time,” said Katz. “I have found that music, as a highly relatable topic, is a wonderful lens to explore the lived experiences and stories of people who are separated by time, distance or other factors in order to grow empathy in community. I look forward to continuing this work at the MFA.”