Lectures
Courtesy of Caitlin Cunningham Photography.
Courtesy of Caitlin Cunningham Photography.
Join us online and in person for lectures from artists, experts, and other compelling voices on wide-ranging topics.
Upcoming Courses
Van Gogh: Portraiture, Influence, and Legacy
April 2–June 11, 2025
Art in the Age of Napoleon
May 15–June 5, 2025
Upcoming Lectures
Looking Together
Powerful Messages Hidden in Plain Sight
Friday, March 21–Friday, March 28, 2025
10:30 am–12:00 pm
10:30 am–12:00 pm
Occurring every Friday
In Person
Lecture
Van Gogh in Provence
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In Person 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Esther Steinberg Memorial Lecture
Living: A House, A Garden, An Aquarium, and More
Thursday, April 3, 2025
7:00 pm–8:00 pm
In Person
7:00 pm–8:00 pm
Lecture
The Influence of Historical Dutch Art on Van Gogh
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Lecture
Between Rembrandt and Van Gogh: 19th-Century Dutch Artists
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In Person 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Looking Together
Arabic Calligraphy: 10th Century to Today
Wednesday, April 23–Wednesday, May 14, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Occurring every Wednesday
In Person
Lecture
Calligraphy, Meet Street Art
Sunday, April 27, 2025
2:00 pm–3:00 pm
In Person
2:00 pm–3:00 pm
Looking Together
The Japanese Garden and Beyond
Wednesday, April 30–Wednesday, May 14, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Occurring every Wednesday
In Person
Lecture
Van Gogh, the Roulin Family, and Portraiture
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In Person 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Lecture
Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
6:30 pm–7:30 pm
Online
6:30 pm–7:30 pm
Lecture
Up Close and Personal with the MFA’s Van Gogh Portraits
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In Person 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
The Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Celebrity Lectures
Jamaica Kincaid: Putting Myself Together
Thursday, May 8, 2025
7:00 pm–8:00 pm
In Person
7:00 pm–8:00 pm
Lecture
Music at the Intersection of the Arts in 19th-Century France
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In Person 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Lecture
Enlightenment and Counter-Enlightenment
Thursday, May 15, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In Person 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Robert J. Boardingham Memorial Lecture
The Postman Cometh: Van Gogh’s Rise to Fame in America
Thursday, May 15, 2025
7:00 pm–8:00 pm
In Person
7:00 pm–8:00 pm
Ananda Coomaraswamy Annual Lecture
Color, Light, Place: Rana Begum
Sunday, May 18, 2025
2:00 pm–3:00 pm
In Person
2:00 pm–3:00 pm
Lecture
A Bounty for the Senses: The Flavors, Tastes, and Scents of Provence
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In Person 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Lecture
The Napoleonic Empire and its Discontents
Thursday, May 22, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In Person 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Lecture
Van Gogh and The “Mad Genius” Debate
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In Person 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Lecture
John Wilson
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
6:30 pm–7:30 pm
Online
6:30 pm–7:30 pm
Lecture
Nature and Feeling
Thursday, May 29, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In Person 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Lecture
“How did he make those colors?”
Wednesday, June 4, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In Person 1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Lecture
Romanticism’s Twilight
Thursday, June 5, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Lecture
Van Gogh: Expressionist Portraiture and Self-Portraiture
Wednesday, June 11, 2025
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In Person 1:00 pm–2:30 pm