Great works of art can deepen our understanding of the world around us. As we confront the current events shaping this period in history, art can offer solace, clarity, and perspective. Through Art for This Moment, MFA staff, artists, and others share objects from across our collections that carry personal significance and global resonance.
Doll’s House
Courtney Harris
Have I always loved small things? I’ve asked myself that question many times over the past few years as my obsession with all things miniature has…
Poston Quilt
Olga Khvan
As we find ourselves in a recent wave of anti-Asian hate sweeping the nation—mourning the victims of the March 2021 shootings in Atlanta, hearts…
Garden for Boston
Marina Tyquiengco
“Garden for Boston” is the first living outdoor exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Since late May, I’ve watched this project—comprised of…
Portrait Head of Socrates
George Scharoun
Approaching a marble figure in the cool, quiet halls of the MFA’s ancient Greek and Roman galleries is an uncanny, potentially dizzying experience…
Starfish Brooch
Emily Stoehrer
As a young child I used to wander around the seashore and tide pools with my sister, searching for starfish. Sometimes we even found one! What we…
Interior of a Painter’s Studio
Eben Haines
Looking at Jan Davidsz. de Heem’s Interior of a Painter’s Studio, we find the artist hard at work in a spare but disheveled space, with clear northern…
Where Art Goes Feelings Follow
Chanel Thervil
Bold. Vibrant. Fun. Energizing. That’s how my life looked before the pandemic. I relished hugging friends as a greeting and goodbye. I liked getting…
The Hair Craft Project
Luiza deCamargo
The first time I met Sonya Clark she helped me move a 300-pound cast-bronze bench down a steep flight of stairs. Well, maybe there’s more to the story…
Statue of Lady Sennuwy
Chelsea Garunay
After a year of anxious interactions, losing ourselves in reveries of art in a public space can feel like a gentle first step back to the social lives…
Walking Man
Melina Mardueño
Last October my brother, sister, and niece came to Boston to visit me. Due to the pandemic, they spent most of their visit in my home, but I was very…
Ubi Girl from Tai Region
Martina Tanga
A young woman looks out at us from under semi-closed eyelids. Her forehead and cheeks are painted white; dramatic diagonal red lines intersect at the…
George Washington
Ethan Lasser
Rioters rampaging through the United States Capitol, rioters destroying offices, rioters terrorizing journalists and officials, rioters freely exiting…
Interior of a Mosque, Cairo
Hope Stockton
I miss traveling. Thirty miles, 300 miles, 3,000 miles, anywhere outside the context of my normal day-to-day life, anyplace with different patterns…
Rouen Cathedral Series
Julia Welch
What do you think of when you hear the name Monet? It likely conjures images of sun-filled meadows, colorful gardens, or ethereal water lilies…
The Fog Warning
Ethan Lasser
As COVID-19 continues to devastate communities across America and we brace ourselves for an Election Day when so much is at stake, I find myself…