Comparison sharpens our observation, helping us crystallize what is distinctive about certain artists, styles, moments, and cultures. Special exhibitions and new installations at the MFA this fall offer the opportunity to look closely at a wide range of works and consider a variety of comparisons. How do vessels of clay and metal reflect American beliefs, from the Maya to the Jazz Age? How do artists capture tales told of the heroic adventures of the Hindu Rama and the Greek Odysseus in painted images? In what ways do abstraction and representation speak to us in the 20th century, both in paintings and in artist’s books?

Barbara T. Martin, Alfond Curator Emerita of Education