Great works of art can deepen our understanding of the world around us. As we confront the current events shaping this period in history, art can offer solace, clarity, and perspective. Through Art for This Moment, MFA staff, artists, and others share objects from across our collections that carry personal significance and global resonance.
Stone Blossom: A Conversation Piece
Catherine Johnson-Roehr
Paul Cadmus lived most of his life in a world that did not acknowledge the rights of LGBTQ+ people to live their lives freely and openly. But that did…
Pictorial Quilt
Michael C. Thorpe
I am trying to gather the strength to find the appropriate words to say right now. Harriet Powers is one of the strongest women I have ever learned…
Three White Tulips
Ethan Lasser
“Something profound was in the making.” So recalled the American artist Charles Sheeler after seeing the work of Braque, Cézanne, and Picasso for the…
Dovecote
Brett Angell
During this scary time, Joseph Cornell’s Dovecote is like a safe shelter for one to take comfort in. Made in about 1952, it was a gift for Joseph’s…
Juif Lisant (Jewish Man Reading)
Matthew Whiman
While riding with the Cossack cavalry as a journalist during the Polish–Soviet War in 1920, the Russian writer Isaac Babel kept a diary. In one entry…
Black River
Megan Conway
To stand in front of El Anatsui’s Black River is to face a shimmering and rippled wall, its effect immediate and sublime. But this majestic tapestry…
Artist in His Studio
Christopher D. M. Atkins
In Rembrandt’s early Artist in His Studio, the artist, clad in his smock and armed with brush and palette, stands at a distance from the easel. For…
Owl’s Head, Penobscot Bay, Maine
Layla Bermeo
Some people see Fitz Henry Lane’s tranquil view of a coastal town at sunset as a nostalgic look back at simpler times. Others see its swelling pink…
Two Sections of a Qurʾan
Laura Weinstein
This year, Ramadan begins on April 23. Muslims will fast, pray, spend time with loved ones, and focus on appreciating all that God provides. They will…
Medicine Buddha
Sarah E. Thompson
Lately I have found solace in images of healing and consolation from the MFA’s Asian collections. I am especially struck by this exquisitely detailed…