MFA Pairs with Meredith Goldstein of Boston.com’s Love Letters for Art-Inspired Advice

BOSTON, MA (February 4, 2015)—Love is in the air this February at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA). All month long, Love at the MFA offers love-themed events and activities, as well as an #mfaLove photo-sharing contest. Throughout February, visitors can seek out “Cupid's Favorite Photo Spots,” marked by hearts, which are perfect locations for snapping a photo with a sweetheart, best friend or family member. Visitors can share their love by imitating the passion of Auguste Rodin's Eternal Springtime (modeled about 1881; cast about 1916–17), or getting cozy under John Singer Sargent's celestial murals at the top of the Museum’s grand staircase. Fans are invited to share photos from their visit to the Museum—or any love-themed moment—using the hashtag #mfaLove on Twitter and Instagram, or upload directly to a gallery of images collected from the community. Anyone who participates receives a 2 for 1 admission coupon during the month of February and can enter for a chance to win an exclusive MFA experience. The Museum’s Love at the MFA brochure (available at the MFA all February) also suggests additional works of art—True Loves or Broken Hearts—scattered throughout the Museum’s galleries.

Valentine’s weekend is the perfect time to toast a loved one at the Museum’s restaurants, or to look for love throughout the collection. On Friday, February 13, the MFA is featuring a special Arts + Hearts party (6–9:45 pm) hosted by Boston.com “Love Letters” columnist, Meredith Goldstein, where visitors can socialize, explore the collection and enjoy specialty cocktails. Taking place at Taste Café in the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art, Goldstein will be offering advice to “True Loves” and “Broken Hearts” throughout the evening. No tickets are required for the Arts + Hearts event (21+), which is free with Museum admission. Also on February 13, a ticketed event, called “Sparkling Treats and First Impressions,” offers the opportunity to socialize with other art lovers over tales of love focusing on iconic works of art, followed by a splash of bubbly to cap off the evening.

Ahead of February 13, Goldstein will offer advice online—using Museum works of art as her muse. For the painting Bocca Baciata (Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1859), she offers: “This woman is the artist’s mistress, which explains her facial expression. Rossetti clearly appreciated his muse (he made the painting, after all), but he was committed to someone else and was rumored to have had another lover. Love Letters commenters would have told her to get her break free. I probably would have told her to find a good therapist.” Fans can find more of Goldstein’s takes on MFA art by following the Museum’s social media channels throughout the month.

Additional love-themed programs in February include a "Cupid's Arrow" MFA First Friday on February 6 and a Sound Bites: Nancy Lee Clark Concert with Boston Conservatory members on Thursday, February 12. From February 16-20, Cogan Family Foundation Vacation Week Adventures celebrates "Things I Love" with art-making activities, family tours and interactive performances during school vacation. For a great date night, couples can take in one of “The Films of Stanley Kubrick” from February 4–February 28. A full listing of events can be found at mfa.org/love.

Full Schedule: Love at the MFA

Self-Guided Tour

• Visitors can take their sweetheart or bestie on a tour of the Museum’s galleries as they look for works of art—for “True Loves” and “Broken Hearts”—with a special brochure.

Exhibitions

• Visiting Masterpiece: Gustav Klimt’s Adam and Eve
• Court Ladies or Pin up Girls? Chinese Paintings from the MFA, Boston
• Hollywood Glamour: Fashion and Jewelry from the Silver Screen

Lectures and Courses

• Sunday, February 8 (2–3 pm): “For the Love of…” with Boston Storytellers
• Sunday, February 22 (2–3 pm): MFA–BLO Signature Series: The Artist Sings

Concerts

• Thursday, February 12 (6–8 pm): Sound Bites: Boston Conservatory Performers
• Sunday, February 15 (2–3:30 pm): Juanito Pascual New Flamenco Trio

February School Vacation Week: “Things I Love”

• Monday–Friday, February 16–20 (10 am–4 pm), except Wednesday, February 18 (10 am–8 pm)

Gallery Learning

• Monday, February 2 (10:15–11 am): MFA Playdates, “Friends and Family”
• Sunday, February 8 (2– 3 pm) and Wednesday, February 11 (6–7 pm): “Passion and Violence in the Art of the Middle Ages and Renaissance”
• Sunday, February 8 (1¬–1:15, 2–¬2:15 and 3¬–3:15 pm): “What Do Women Want? Klimt’s Adam and Eve” Spotlight Talk
• Wednesday, February 18 (6–7 pm) and Saturday, February 28 (12–1 pm): “The World of Dionysus”
• Wednesday, February 18 and February 25 (6–6:15, 6:30–6:45 and 7:15–7:30 pm): “Visiting Masterpiece: Gustav Klimt’s Adam and Eve” Spotlight Talk

Special Events

Friday, February 6 (6–9:30 pm): “Cupid’s Arrow” First Friday

Friday, February 13 (6–9:45 pm): "Arts + Hearts" event

• Hosted by Boston.com “Love Letters” columnist Meredith Goldstein, come socialize, explore the collection and have a cocktail
• Remix (7–9:30 pm): “Sparkling Treats and First Impressions”
• Dinner at Bravo (5:30¬8 pm)

Saturday, February 14

• Brunch at Bravo (11:30 am–3 pm)
• Gallery Talk (12–1 pm): “Odd Couples at the MFA” tour

Sunday, February 15

• Brunch at Bravo (11:30 am–3 pm)
• Gallery Talk (2–3 pm): “Broken Hearts” tour
• Concert (2–3:30 pm): Juanito Pascual New Flamenco Trio

The Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Film Program at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is funded by the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation. Film at the MFA is sponsored by Bank of America. Also made possible with endowment support from the Katharine Stone White Film Fund, the Museum Film Program Endowment Fund, the Dean W. Freed Fund, the Marilyn and Selwyn Kudisch Endowed Fund for the Benefit of the Film Program, the MFA Associates and MFA Senior Associates Fund for Film and Video, and the Margaret L. Hargrove Fund. A gift from an anonymous Friend of Film makes program notes for select events possible. Visits by film and video artists are made possible by the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation Fund and by The Lowell Institute.

Court Ladies or Pin up Girls? Chinese Paintings from the MFA, Boston, presented with support from the Rodger and Dawn Nordblom Fund for Chinese Paintings in Honor of Marjorie C. Nordblom and The June N. and John C. Robinson Fund for Chinese Paintings in Honor of Marjorie C. Nordblom.

Hollywood Glamour: Fashion and Jewelry from the Silver Screen sponsored by Neil Lane Jewelry. Additional support from the David and Roberta Logie Fund for Textile and Fashion Arts and the Loring Textile Gallery Exhibition Fund

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), is recognized for the quality and scope of its collection, which includes an estimated 500,000 objects. The Museum has more than 140 galleries displaying its encyclopedic collection, which includes Art of the Americas; Art of Europe; Contemporary Art; Art of Asia, Oceania, and Africa; Art of the Ancient World; Prints, Drawings, and Photographs; Textile and Fashion Arts; and Musical Instruments. Open seven days a week, the MFA’s hours are Saturday through Tuesday, 10 am–4:45 pm; and Wednesday through Friday, 10 am–9:45 pm Admission (which includes one repeat visit within 10 days) is $25 for adults and $23 for seniors and students age 18 and older, and includes entry to all galleries and special exhibitions. Admission is free for University Members and youths age 17 and younger on weekdays after 3 pm, weekends, and Boston Public Schools holidays; otherwise $10. Wednesday nights after 4 pm admission is by voluntary contribution (suggested donation $25). MFA Members are always admitted for free. The Museum’s mobile MFA Guide is available at ticket desks and the Sharf Visitor Center for $5, members; $6, non-members; and $4, youths. The Museum is closed on New Year’s Day, Patriots’ Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. For more information, visit mfa.org or call 617.267.9300. The MFA is located on the Avenue of the Arts at 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115.

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