Lectures
Joseph Savart, Woman from Guadeloupe with Blue and White Shawl (detail), 1769. Pastel on paper. Henry H. and Zoe Oliver Sherman Fund.
Joseph Savart, Woman from Guadeloupe with Blue and White Shawl (detail), 1769. Pastel on paper. Henry H. and Zoe Oliver Sherman Fund.
Join us online and in person for lectures from artists, experts, and other compelling voices on wide-ranging topics.
Current Courses
America at 250: Expanding the American Story Through Art
October 14–December 9, 2026
Upcoming Lectures
Lecture
Joseph Pope’s Orrery Clock: Boston and the World in the 18th Century
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In person and online 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Lecture
From Donations to Excavations: The Provenance of Objects in “Maverick Kings”
Thursday, October 15, 2026
2:00 pm–3:30 pm
2:00 pm–3:30 pm
Looking Together
Chasing Excellence Across Asia: Then, Now, and Beyond
Monday, October 19–Monday, November 9, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Occurring Mondays
Looking Together
Art and Empathy
Monday, October 19–Monday, November 2, 2026
2:30 pm–4:00 pm
2:30 pm–4:00 pm
Occurring Mondays
Looking Together
Beyond the Odyssey: Epic Battles in Global Art
Wednesday, October 21–Wednesday, November 4, 2026
10:30 am–12:00 pm
10:30 am–12:00 pm
Occurring Wednesdays
Lecture
Mercy Otis Warren: Looking at Revolutionary Women
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In person and online 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Looking Together
New Englanders: Art, Identity, and the Making of a Nation
Thursday, October 22–Thursday, November 12, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Occurring Thursdays
Lecture
The Story of Art without Men: An Illustrated Guide to Amazing Women Artists
Saturday, October 24, 2026
2:00 pm–3:00 pm
2:00 pm–3:00 pm
The Rad Smith Program in Japanese Art
After the Landslide: New Sculptural Forms from a Sea of Mud
Sunday, October 25, 2026
2:00 pm–3:30 pm
2:00 pm–3:30 pm
Lecture
Clues in the Cloth: Dress and Alterations in the 18th Century
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In person and online 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
The Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Celebrity Lectures
Uzo Aduba: Owning Your Identity
Thursday, October 29, 2026
7:00 pm–8:00 pm
In person and online 7:00 pm–8:00 pm
Lecture
Revere and Rodallega: Silversmiths of the Americas
Wednesday, November 4, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In person and online 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Looking Together
Comparing Across Time and Culture
Thursday, November 5–Thursday, December 3, 2026
10:30 am–12:00 pm
10:30 am–12:00 pm
Occurring Thursdays except November 26.
Lecture
Wampanoag Art at the MFA
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In person and online 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Deborah and Martin Hale Visiting Artist Lecture
Suzanne Jackson in Conversation with Imani Perry
Thursday, November 12, 2026
7:00 pm–8:00 pm
7:00 pm–8:00 pm
Lecture
The United States and Haiti: When History (and Revolutions) Binds Us
Wednesday, November 18, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In person and online 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Lecture
Presses, Plates, and Propaganda: 18th-Century Print Culture in the Americas
Wednesday, December 2, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In person and online 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
The Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Celebrity Lectures
Mo Rocca’s Variety Pack Approach to Living
Thursday, December 3, 2026
7:00 pm–8:00 pm
In person and online 7:00 pm–8:00 pm
Barbara W. Herman Memorial Lecture
Royal Portraiture of Amenhotep III at Thebes
Saturday, December 5, 2026
2:00 pm–3:00 pm
2:00 pm–3:00 pm
Lecture
Representations of Liberty in American Folk Art
Wednesday, December 9, 2026
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In person and online 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
The Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Celebrity Lectures
Back to Boston: An Evening with Rachel Dratch
Thursday, February 25, 2027
7:00 pm–8:00 pm
In person and online 7:00 pm–8:00 pm
The Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Celebrity Lectures
An Evening with Ocean Vuong
Thursday, May 13, 2027
7:00 pm–8:00 pm
In person and online 7:00 pm–8:00 pm