Past Exhibitions

SMFA Traveling Scholars

April 10–May 31, 2010

This year’s “SMFA Traveling Scholars” exhibition features works by five Museum School alumni who each received the prestigious Traveling Scholarship...

Under the Skin
Tattoos in Japanese Prints

April 3, 2010–January 2, 2011

Tattooing became an important feature of Japanese urban popular culture in the early 19th century, influenced strongly by the success of a series of...

Luis Meléndez
Master of the Spanish Still Life

February 2–May 9, 2010

"A splendid show."—The New York Times

Object, Image, Collector
African and Oceanic Art in Focus

December 12, 2009–July 18, 2010

By juxtaposing pieces from Africa and Oceania selected from private collections with photographs, “Object, Image, Collector” explores the complex...

Albrecht Dürer: Virtuoso Printmaker

November 21, 2009–July 5, 2010

"A sterling one-room show of Dürer’s prints...the MFA’s holdings are top-notch, and the show includes some of the finest, most indelible images in the...

Café and Cabaret
Toulouse-Lautrec's Paris

November 21, 2009–August 8, 2010

The French aristocrat Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), one of the most innovative artists of the late nineteenth century, is known for his bold...

The Way of the Gods
Shinto Shrines and Their Art

November 21, 2009–August 1, 2010

Shinto is not an organized religion or even a unified system of beliefs. Instead, the Japanese use the word to describe a whole group of religious...

Harry Callahan
American Photographer

November 21, 2009–July 5, 2010

Harry Callahan was one of the most innovative photographers working in America in the mid-twentieth century. Images of his wife, Eleanor; passers-by...

Bharat Ratna!
Jewels of Modern Indian Art

November 14, 2009–June 6, 2010

“Bharat Ratna,” which translates literally to the “Jewel of India,” presents a selection of outstanding works by some of India’s most celebrated...

Portrait of Life
Children’s Lives in Art

November 7, 2009–January 18, 2010

Nagoya and Boston Exchange Artwork This exhibition marks the sixth annual exchange between young people in Nagoya, Japan, and Boston. This unique...