Lectures

Join us online and in person for lectures from artists, experts, and other compelling voices on wide-ranging topics.

Upcoming Courses

Reintroducing Modernism at the MFA

February 25–March 18, 2026

Bengali Art and Culture: Living Traditions, Critical Junctures

March 5–26, 2026

Living Art: Gardens Across Time, Culture, and Creativity

March 25–June 3, 2026

Upcoming Lectures

Lecture

Beyond Reality: Surrealism in the 20th century

Wednesday, March 4, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm

In Person

Lecture

Religion in Bengal: Mythic and Material Expressions

Thursday, March 5, 2026
2:00 pm–3:30 pm

In Person

Lecture

Mark Rothko: The Simple Expression of the Complex Thought

Wednesday, March 11, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm

In Person

Lecture

The Art of Clay Sculpture: Shaping Modern Bengal

Thursday, March 12, 2026
2:00 pm–3:30 pm

In Person

Lecture

Forms of Modernism: Materials and Meaning in 20th-Century Sculpture

Wednesday, March 18, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm

In Person

Lecture

Print and Popular Devotion in 19th-Century Calcutta

Thursday, March 19, 2026
2:00 pm–3:30 pm

In Person

Lecture

Are Gardens Art?

Wednesday, March 25, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm

In Person

Lecture

Colorful Cosmopolitanism: Artistic Representations of the Nation as Mother

Thursday, March 26, 2026
2:00 pm–3:30 pm

In Person

Robert J. Boardingham Memorial Lecture

Camille Monet

Thursday, March 26, 2026
7:00 pm–8:00 pm

In Person

Lecture

A Gilded Age Garden Tour of Newport, Rhode Island

Wednesday, April 1, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm

In Person

Looking Together

Water, Air, Earth, and Fire in Greek Antiquity

Thursday, April 2–Thursday, April 23, 2026
6:30 pm–8:00 pm

Occurring Thursdays

In Person

Looking Together

Divine Color: Explore the Exhibition

Wednesday, April 8–Wednesday, April 29, 2026
10:30 am–12:00 pm

Occurring Wednesdays

In Person

Lecture

Porcelain and Plants: Decorative Arts and Garden Inspiration

Wednesday, April 8, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm

In Person

Lecture

The Camera in the Garden

Wednesday, April 15, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm

In Person

Lecture

Not Just Pretty Flowers: The Challenge of Botanical Art

Wednesday, May 6, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm

In Person

Lecture

Gardens of Kyoto

Wednesday, May 13, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm

In Person

The Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Celebrity Lectures

Percival Everett: The Art of Contemporary Fiction

Thursday, May 14, 2026
7:00 pm–8:00 pm

In Person

Lecture

Sacred Landscapes and Jardines Botánicos: Gardens in Latin America

Wednesday, May 20, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm

In Person

Lecture

From Garden to Studio: An Intertwined Creative Practice

Wednesday, May 27, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm

In Person

Lecture

The Ephemeral Landscape: Plants in Time and Space

Wednesday, June 3, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm

In Person