The House that Malcolm Built

This past Friday, I braved the cold and the after Thanksgiving crowd to sneak a peek of the highly anticipated Art of the Americas Wing at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. After walking into the Shapiro Family Courtyard, the massive cube that connects the new wing to the original building, it would be hard for anyone to argue that this extensive and costly project is anything but a success for the MFA and the entire Boston arts community.

Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Family Courtyard © Chuck Choi. Image courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

About ten years ago, well known (infamous, to some) MFA Director Malcolm Rogers began to build support for the expansion, eventually raising $504 million for the new wing. Criticized in the past for his staff overhauls and controversial exhibits, you can feel Roger’s fingerprint throughout the new wing, which will undoubtedly serve as a lasting reminder of his tenure at the MFA.

Designed by London based architectural firm Foster + Partners, the 133, 491 square foot addition houses more than 5,000 pieces from North, South and Central America in 53 galleries. As you ascend the four floors, you are also moving forward in time. The lower ground level consists of a relatively small collection of Pre-Colombian, Andean and Native North American art along with pieces from 17th century New England. Level one and two takes visitors through American Colonialism, American Impressionism and beyond. These two levels showcase what the MFA is most well known for; it’s expansive collection of 18th and 19th century American art and artifacts. Iconic works by John Singer Sargent, John Singelton Copley, Thomas Sully, Samuel McIntire, Winslow Homer and Louise Comfort Tiffany are all on view, and not to be missed by any visitor to Boston.

The Passage of the Delaware, Thomas Sully. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of the Owners of the old Boston Museum. Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

In sharp contrast to the breadth of work exhibited on floors two and three, the fourth floor consists of a poor collection of modern American art. Although it houses several pieces by Goergia O’Keefe and Arthur Dove, the MFA’s holdings in this category are rather dismal. In a review of the wing, Boston Globe Art Critic Sebastian Smee described the offerings on the fourth floor as “blowsy and third-rate,” a fair assessment in my eyes.

Despite the disappointment the fourth floor provided, the new wing is highly impressive. It transforms the entire visitor experience at the MFA, highlights collection strengthens and embraces where Mr. Rogers and the rest of the MFA staff need to focus acquisition efforts.

For visitor information go here.

Editorial Disclaimer: The author of this post received discounted or complementary admission to the above mentioned exhibition, courtesy of the host institution, organization or gallery.

"We are in some ways lucky to be living in the era of art museums as big-box stores."

Kyle Chayka examines the recent flurry of museum expansion plans in an article for The Atlantic online here.

"In order for museums to be sustainable in the future, they really have to listen to their visitors"

Hilarie Sheets from The New York Times talks to Bonnie Pitman, director of the Dallas Museum of Art, about the interesting work the institution is doing to improve visitor experiences

A Trip to the Smith College Museum of Art

When a friend suggested a trip to the Smith College Museum of Art in Northampton, Mass. I happily agreed, but wasn’t expecting much of a return on my time. Ignorant to the Museum’s position and reputation, I envisioned a dark, dank little gallery on the college campus with a collection consisting of old Dutch paintings and Revolutionary War tchotchke’s so typical of New England museums.

What I found was an impressive collection of contemporary American and European art of the 19th and 20th centuries, in a $35 million dollar art center on the campus of this historic women’s college.

Works by Cézanne, Kirchner and Picasso can be found on the third floor of the building: gifts to the Museum from distinguished Smith alumnae. Museum acquired contemporary pieces from Jenny Holzer and Alison Saar are also on view, serving as a testament to the Museum’s forward thinking aesthetic and dedication to supporting women in the visual arts.

Click here for more information.

"Museum attendance up, income down, survey says"

Read the whole story via the Los Angeles Times here.

The Detroit Institute of Art Opens New Islamic Art Gallery

Mary Stryker from the Detroit Free Press talks to Heather Ecker, curator of Islamic art at the Detroit Institute of Art about the project.