Past Exhibitions

Rachel Ruysch: Artist, Naturalist, and Pioneer

August 23–December 7, 2025

“A tableau of earthly riches” In the still life paintings of Dutch artist Rachel Ruysch (1664–1750), floral bouquets appear alive and rich with...

Community Arts Initiative: Into the Forest

May 16–October 26, 2025

For “Into the Forest,” Boston-based artist Szu Chieh-Yun (b. 1988) has guided more than 170 students through an exercise in world-building focused on...

The Visionary Art of Minnie Evans

May 10–October 26, 2025

Over half a century, American artist Minnie Evans (1892–1987) created thousands of radiant and kaleidoscopic works of art inspired by vivid dreams and...

Qi Baishi: Inspiration in Ink

May 3–September 28, 2025

Living in a time of civil and political turmoil, Qi Baishi (1864–1957) was renowned for his modernization of Chinese ink painting. Conveying rural...

Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits

March 30–September 7, 2025

Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) once wrote, “What I’m most passionate about…is the portrait, the modern portrait.” This passion flourished between 1888...

Witnessing Humanity: The Art of John Wilson

February 8–June 22, 2025

A Roxbury artist’s vision of America Born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, John Wilson (1922–2015) is one of Boston’s most esteemed artists. His work, made...

Curated by Teens: Death as a Constant Companion

December 21, 2024–November 30, 2025

For this exhibition, five teenagers from public high schools in the Boston area collaborated with the MFA’s Center for Netherlandish Art (CNA) to...

Robert Frank: Mary’s Book

December 21, 2024–June 22, 2025

Celebrating the centennial of photographer Robert Frank’s (1924–2019) birth, this exhibition takes an in-depth look at the personal scrapbook of...

Landscape and Labor
Dutch Works on Paper in Van Gogh’s Time

December 21, 2024–June 22, 2025

Although Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) is today perhaps the most famous Dutch artist of all, in his own time he was relatively little known, especially...

Utopia, Dystopia: Tony Cokes and Oscar Muñoz

December 14, 2024–August 24, 2025

“Utopia, Dystopia” presents two single-channel videos from the MFA collection by Tony Cokes (b. 1956) and Oscar Muñoz (b. 1951). Created in the last...