The Boston Museum of Fine Arts

Treasures from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

The Boston Museum of Fine Arts is on my list as one of the best museums to visit in the US.  They let you take photos in the museum (no flash of course) and it's a great space to view all the art.

The main entrance was closed due to construction.  We go through the side entrance which has a modern mid-century look.

5  One of the Asian galleries

They have a great Asian collection.  It's wonderfully displayed.

5  European Painting gallery

The European gallery is a tight collection that has representations of the great artists from Europe.  They have a Van Gogh, El Greco, several Velasquez and some Zurbarans.  The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum has a Zurbaran as well.

5  Van Gogh

5  Zurbaran - let's go shopping!

Balenciaga (Cristobal, not Nicholas Ghesquiere) was heavily influenced by Zurbaran's paintings.  They usually have ecclesiastical themes with wonderfully draped figures in religious vestments.

5  Renoir and Degas

Most of the paintings in their European collection came from the collections of prominent Bostonians.

5  A very sexy "Automedon with Achilles' Horses" by Henri Regnault

The best part of the museum is the American collection.  Some great American artists are featured here more than any other museum.  They have a large collection of John Singleton Copley (a native Bostonian), John Singer Sargent and Winslow Homer.

5  Paul Revere by John Singleton Copley and the famous Revere Liberty bowl.  Paul looks like Bob Hope.

5  Samuel Adams by John Singleton Copley who looks nothing like the picture on the famous beer.

5  TWO WOMEN BY COPLEY

Ann Tyng (left) and Mercy Otis (right) looks to me like two women of the same social class from the same period.  Ann looks sinister and painted to seem like a devil with a headress that give the appearance of horns and holding what could be construed as a trident.  She is also dressed more daring than Mercy who seems to be the very picture of a virtuous woman.  They could easily have been the Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly of their time.  Hmmmm...interesting.

5  One of John Singer Sargent's society portraits (left) and the sexiest Arab man (right) in the collection.

5  An Edward Hopper.  This could easily be a match print for "Nighthawks" in the Art Institute of Chicago.

Around the corner is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum which is also another great museum.  It houses the collection of Isabella Gardner who placed evey item in the museum with a proviso that the collection not be touched or altered in any way.  Unfortunately, they had a huge theft in 1990 (the loot included a Vermeer) so security is tight and absolutely no photos allowed.