“Art, when really understood, is the province of every human being,” wrote influential teacher and painter Robert Henri in the 1920s. Explore the...
March 8–April 12, 2023
Stories Artists Tell: Art of the Americas, the 20th Century
John Wilson, maquette for Eternal Presence (detail), modeled 1985, cast 1998. Bronze. William Francis Warden Fund. © Estate of John Wilson.
John Wilson, maquette for Eternal Presence (detail), modeled 1985, cast 1998. Bronze. William Francis Warden Fund. © Estate of John Wilson.
Explore exciting chapters in the history of 20th-century art from the Americas. Inspired by “Stories Artists Tell: Art of the Americas, the 20th Century,” this course looks at diverging and converging themes—from Native perspectives on the Southwest to ways artists confronted the traumas of World War II, from Black artists in the Americas engaging in African artistic traditions to the vibrant links between art, design, and jazz. Together these topics create juxtapositions and connections that invite questions and possibilities.
Hear from curators as they unpack the new galleries and share insights behind their audience-driven approach to shed light on the stories artists tell about the Americas.
Take the full five-session course or choose the lectures that interest you most.
Ticket Packages
Upcoming Events
Lecture
April 12, 2023
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Join this conversation about two dynamic artists and consider how recent acquisitions of important works by them have transformed the MFA’s...
Past Events
Lecture
March 29, 2023
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Celebrate the stunning works on view in the “Art and Jazz” gallery with a wide-ranging conversation about jazz styles and their impact on visual arts...
Lecture
March 15, 2023
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Learn about the ways in which Africa is at once a point of origin and a myriad of real and imagined associations for many Black artists working in the...
Lecture
March 8, 2023
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
In this in-depth overview of “Stories Artists Tell: Art of the Americas, the 20th Century,” learn about the audience-driven and thematic approach to...