Avenue of the Arts
465 Huntington Avenue
(617) 267-9300
Events Line: (617) 369-3306
Web site: www.mfa.org
Like New York’s
Metropolitan and Paris’ Louvre, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts
(MFA) is a megalithic edifice housing great collections from
myriad epochs and cultures. One would need strong legs and
endless hours to cover more than a fraction of this world-class
museum’s treasures.
From Buddhas to mummies to
European musical instruments, from ship models to ancient Greek
vases to early modern masters, this vast emporium of fine and
decorative arts offers aesthetic pleasures for nearly every
taste.
Among the museum’s
strengths are its permanent collections of 19th- and
early 20th-century American painting, a large
representation of regional artists like Edward Hopper and John
Singleton Copley, and European painting from the Renaissance to
Impressionism. Among the decorative arts, collections range from
colonial American furniture to English silver to costumes,
textiles, and tapestries.
Under the tutelage of the
renowned Kakuzo Okakura, author of the classic, The Book of
Tea, the Oriental collections of the MFA became world famous
early in the century. Okakura stressed covering systematic
ranges of art rather than acquiring isolated pieces. Today, you
can wander among early Chinese old master paintings or swords
from feudal Japan, visit the meditative and mysterious room of
the Buddhas or the contemplative Tenshin-en ("Garden in the
Heart of Heaven).
A continuously changing
series of lectures, concerts, performance, and film programs
keeps the museum lively and modish. Meals and snacks are served
in The Fine Arts Restaurant and several cafes. Guided walks and
gallery talks are available frequently.
Hours:
Monday and Tuesday 10
am-4:45 pm
Wednesday 10 am-9:45 pm
Thursday and Friday 10
am-9:45 pm, after 5 pm, West Wing and selected galleries only
Saturday and Sunday 10
am-5:45 pm
Admission/fees:
Adults: $12
Senior Citizens: $10
Full-time Students 16 and
older: $10
Children 15 and under:
Free
Fees are reduced $2 on
Thursday and Friday evenings
Wednesday evenings, 4-9:45
pm: admission is by voluntary contribution
MUSEUM
OF FINE ARTS
ATTRACTIONS
