Jen Mergel, curator of “Political Intent” in Gallery 158 and Beal Family Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, has asked a guest author to choose a work from the MFA's collection and share personal discoveries and opinions about its political meaning.
Explore these works of art, and the stories behind their selection.
Then, share your thoughts in the comments below each entry: Is this political to you? Why?
US Marine Cpl. Philip Pepper, age 22, Garmsir, Helmand, Afghanistan
Kristen Gresh
The forthcoming anniversary of the World War I Armistice, known as Veterans Day, presents an opportunity to pause and reconsider war’s costs and…
Eid Mar Coin [Denarius with head of M. Junius Brutus]
Phoebe Segal
This coin, known as the Eid Mar or "Ides of March," is the most historically and politically significant in the MFA’s distinctive collection of more…
Henry Clay Feathered Star Quilt
Jennifer Swope
Well before American women had the right to vote, some used quilts to express their political persuasion. This expertly pieced composition features an…
My Identity
Jacki Elgar
My Identity is a personal and political self-portrait. Through four photographs, it suggests that even as the artist experiences 20th- and 21st…
Seated Giant
Stephanie Stepanek
Goya made timeless statements of a political nature throughout his print series— Caprichos, Disasters of War, Disparates, and even the Tauromaquia on…
Guernica to Wounded Knee
Emily Scheinberg
Natchez layers histories, artistic practices, and popular culture references into this vibrant, yet sharply political, image. At left, he paints a…
Liberty Brooch
Emily Zilber
Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is well known for using brooches to make nonverbal political and diplomatic statements. This began…
American Collar II
Emily Zilber
Around 1990, Yager began to make jewelry out of the stuff of the streets—crack vials, syringes, bullet casings, and broken auto glass—that she found…
Miss America
Karen Haas
Inundated as we’ve been over the course of the last few weeks with images of American Olympic athletes draped in flags, and specifically with news of…
Miracle I
Marietta Cambareri
As news outlets cover immigration, legal and illegal, and the plight of refugees taking to the waters of the world, personal stories of sacrifice may…
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Izard (Alice Delancey)
Barbara Martin
This painting of a wealthy couple takes on new political relevance in relation to our First Lady. The story of this portrait for me has always been…