Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The Museum of Fine Arts (abbreviated MFA Boston or MFA) is a museum of fine arts in Boston, Massachusetts. In terms of public gallery space, it is the world's 20th largest art museum. It is one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas, with 8,161 paintings and over 450,000 works of art. As of 2019, it was the 52nd-most visited art museum in the world, with over 1.2 million visitors per year. The museum was founded in Copley Square in 1870 and relocated to its current Fen way location in 1909. It is affiliated with Tufts University's School of the Museum of Fine Arts.

History

The Museum of Fine Arts was established in 1870 on the top floor of the Boston Athenaeum. The majority of its initial collection was sourced from the Athenaeum's Art Gallery.  Francis Davis Millet, a local artist, was instrumental in establishing the museum's art school and naming Emil Otto Grundmann as its first director. In 1876, the museum relocated to a highly ornamented brick Gothic Revival structure designed by John Hubbard Sturgis and Charles Brigham, which was notable for its massed architectural terracotta. It was in Copley Square, between Dartmouth and St. James Streets. It was almost entirely made of imported from England brick and terracotta, with some stone around the base. After the MFA left in 1907, this original structure was demolished, and the Copley Plaza Hotel (now the Fairmont Copley Plaza) was built in its place in 1912.

2008–present

In the mid-2000s, the museum embarked on a major renovation and expansion project. Between 2001 and 2008, the museum received over $500 million in a seven-year fundraising campaign for a new wing, the endowment, and operating expenses, in addition to acquiring over $160 million in art.

Collection

The museum houses the "Bunworth harp," a large cláirseach made in 1734.

Outside the museum's main entrance, facing Huntington Avenue, is Cyrus Dallin's Appeal to the Great Spirit (1908). The Museum of Fine Arts has materials from many different art movements and cultures. In addition, the museum maintains a large online database with information on over 346,000 items from its collection, as well as digitised images. The Internet provides free access to online search. 

Among the collection's highlights are: Dutch Golden Age painting, including 113 works donated in 2017 by collectors Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo and Susan and Matthew Weatherbie. The gift includes works by 76 artists as well as the Haverkamp-Begemann collection.

Libraries

The Museum of Fine Arts' libraries house 320,000 items in total.

 The main branch is named after the well-known American artist William Morris Hunt. For decades, it was housed in Horticultural Hall, two stops on the MBTA Green Line away. The main library was open to the public, and the catalogue was searchable online.

Hours

Sunday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tuesday Closed

Wednesday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Thursday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m.

Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

Adult Admission Members Youths aged 7 to 17 Youths aged 0 to 6 General Admission Free $27 $10 Free

"The Power of Photography in Life Magazine" + General Admission

Free $34 $17 Free Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.