The MFA is open. Open to new ideas that broaden our perspectives. Open to every visitor, from the curious to the lifelong learner. Open to new possibilities discovered through art.
Showcasing ancient artistry and modern masterpieces, local legends and global visionaries, our renowned collection of nearly 500,000 works tells the story of the human experience—a story that holds unique meaning for everyone. We welcome diverse perspectives, both within the artwork and among our visitors.
Where many worldviews meet, new ways of seeing, thinking, and understanding emerge. The conversations we inspire bring people together—revealing connections, exploring differences, and creating a community where all belong.
Director’s Message
A letter from Matthew Teitelbaum, Ann and Graham Gund Director
Mission
Mission adopted by the Board of Trustees, 1991; Strategic Plan, adopted 2017; Sustainability Statement, adopted 2019
Inclusion at the MFA
Our ongoing work on creating a community where all belong
Architectural History
A timeline of renovations and transformations of MFA Boston from the opening of its first location in Copley Square in 1870 through today
A Museum for All of Boston
A report on the MFA’s participation in and contributions to Boston’s civic, cultural, and economic life
Leadership
Museum Staff: Leadership Team, Curatorial Chairs; MFA Boston Trustees and Advisors
Unidentified artist, mummy mask of a woman (detail), Egyptian, Roman imperial period, 101–200 AD. Painted plaster with gold leaf. Florence E. and Horace L. Mayer Fund.
Unidentified artist, colossal statue of King Menkaura (Mycerinus) (detail), Egyptian, Old Kingdom, Dynasty 4, rein of Menkaura, 2490–72 BCE. Travertine (Egyptian alabaster). Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition.
Loïs Mailou Jones, Ubi Girl from Tai Region (detail), 1972. Acrylic on canvas. Gift of the Loïs Mailou Jones Pierre-Noël Trust. © Loïs Mailou Jones Pierre-Noël Trust.
A. Ellis, Mr. Tiffen of East Kingston, New Hampshire (detail), about 1820. Oil on panel. Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch.
Unidentified artist, portrait mask (detail), Olmec, Middle Formative period, 900–600 BCE. Jadeite with black inclusions. Gift of Landon T. Clay.
Marie Louise Elisabeth Vigée-Le Brun, Portrait of a Young Woman (detail), about 1797. Oil on canvas. Robert Dawson Evans Collection.
Dihl et Guérhard Manufactory, after Charles-Gabriel Sauvage Lemire, Child Reading, about 1975. Hard-paste biscuit porcelain. Bequest of Forsyth Wickes—The Forsyth Wickes Collection.
Tateishi Harumi, Clover (detail), 1934. Panel; ink and color on paper. Keith McLeod Fund.
Unidentified artist, statue of Athena Parthenos (the Virgin Goddess) (detail), Roman, imperial period, 2nd or 3rd century CE. Marble from Mt. Pentelikon near Athens. Classical Department Exchange Fund.
Unidentified artist, mummy mask (detail), Egyptian, Roman imperial period, 1–50 CE. Painted and gilded cartonnage, inlaid glass. Gift of Lucien Viola, Horace L. and Florence E. Mayer Fund, Helen and Alice Colburn Fund, Marilyn M. Simpson Fund, William Francis Warden Fund, and William Stevenson Smith Fund.
Erich Heckel, Portrait of a Man (Self-Portrait) (detail), 1919. Color woodcut. Bequest of W. G. Russell Allen. © Erich Heckel Estate, D-78343 Hemmenhofen.
Unidentified artist, head of a woman (detail), Roman, imperial period, 100–125 AD. Marble, probably from the Greek island of Paros. Gift of Samuel and Edward Merrin and Museum purchase with funds by exchange from the Benjamin and Lucy Rowland Collection and a Gift of Barbara Deering Danielson, and the William Francis Warden Fund.
Loïs Mailou Jones, Negro Student, 1934. Charcoal on paper. Gift of the Loïs Mailou Jones Pierre-Noël Trust. © Loïs Mailou Jones Pierre-Noël Trust.
Lotte Jacobi, Lotte Lenya Berlin (detail), about 1928. Gelatin silver print. Sophie M. Friedman Fund. University of New Hampshire. Used with permission.
Vincent van Gogh, Postman Joseph Roulin (detail), 1888. Oil on canvas. Gift of Robert Treat Paine, 2nd.
Sekino Jun’ichirō, Portrait of Kabuki Actor Nakamura Kichiemon (detail), Japanese, Shōwa era, 1947 (Shōwa 22). Woodblock print; ink and color on paper. Gift of Robert Treat Paine Jr. through Mrs. Robert Treat Paine Jr. Reproduced with permission.
William Matthew Prior, Three Sisters of the Copeland Family (detail), 1854. Oil on canvas. Bequest of Martha C. Karolik for the M. and M. Karolik Collection of American Paintings, 1815–65.
Attributed to Emperor Huizong, court ladies preparing newly woven silk (detail), Chinese, Northern Song dynasty, early 12th century. Ink, color, and gold on silk. Chinese and Japanese Special Fund.
Ellen Day Hale, Self Portrait (detail), 1885. Oil on canvas. Gift of Nancy Hale Bowers.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Bocca Baciata (Lips that Have Been Kissed) (detail), 1859. Oil on panel. Gift of James Lawrence.
Students in the South and Southeast Asian Art Gallery, 176.
Archibald Motley, Cocktails (detail), about 1926. Oil on canvas. The John Axelrod Collection—Frank B. Bemis Fund, Charles H. Bayley Fund, and The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection. © Valerie Gerrard Browne.
Mary Stevenson Cassatt, In the Loge (detail), 1878. Oil on canvas.
Visitors in “Women Take the Floor.” Caitlin Cunningham Photography.
Visitors in “Community Arts Initiative: Building with Light.” Tony Rinaldo.
A visitor in “Gender Bending Fashion.” Caitlin Cunningham Photography.
Visitors drawing in the galleries. Tony Rinaldo.
Norval Morrisseau, Bear Father, Bear Son (detail), 1989. Acrylic on canvas. The Betty Mayland Ellis Fund for Canadian Paintings. Authentication and Permission granted by the Estate of Norval Morrisseau. OfficialMorrisseau.com
A visitor in “Touching Roots: Black Ancestral Legacies in the Americas.”
Artist Evelyn Vanderhoop dances with her Raven’s Tail robe in the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art. © Bernadette Jarrad.
Kehinde Wiley, John, 1st Baron Byron (detail), 2013. Oil on canvas. Juliana Cheney Edwards Collection, The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection and funds donated by Stephen Borkowski in honor of Jason Collins. © Kehinde Wiley Studio.
Visitors in the Calderwood Family Courtyard. Michael Blanchard Photography.
Visitors in the Shapiro Family Courtyard. Caitlin Cunningham Photography.