Spring at the MFA
With spring already here and summer on the horizon, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts will be featuring a number of exciting and diverse exhibitions in the coming months. Here is an overview of the exhibits that will be making their way to the MFA beginning in April.
Hokusai April 5 – August 9 Ann and Graham Gund Gallery (Gallery LG31)
The first Japanese artist to be recognized internationally, Katsushika Hokusai is the artist of the iconic Under the Wave Off Kanagawa (Great Wave) from Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji .The MFA holds the largest collection of Japanese art outside of Japan, and this upcoming exhibition will feature various works from Hokusai’s 70 year career. The exhibit contains woodblock prints, painting, and illustrated printed books by the artist that incorporate themes of nature, landscapes, fantasy, and urban culture with traditional Japanese literary and historical motifs.
Leonardo da Vinci and the Idea of Beauty April 15 – June 14 Lois B. and Michael K. Torf Gallery (Gallery 184)
Opening on April 15th, Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday, this exhibition will feature drawings from the Renaissance master, on loan from various collections including the Uffizi Gallery. Amongst the works exhibited are a newly-discovered self-portrait of da Vinci, his “Study for the Head of an Angel”, and his Codex on the Flight of Birds. The exhibition will focus on da Vinci’s fascination with the dichotomy of beauty and ugliness. While the exhibit showcases da Vinci’s work it will also feature several drawings by Michelangelo.
In the Wake Japanese Photographers Respond to 3/11 April 5 – July 12 Henry and Lois Foster Gallery (Gallery 158)
In a reflection of tragedy and recovery, this exhibit features some of Japan’s upcoming and most celebrated artists capturing the aftermath and effects of a defining natural disaster. On March 11, 2011, the Tōhoku region of Japan was struck by a massive earthquake and tsunami, leaving destruction in the wake and causing massive damage to the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The 17 photographers featured will explore the repercussions of the natural disasters and the Fukushima disaster in separate parts.
Gonzalo Fuenmayor Tropical Mythologies April 18, 2015 – September 13, 2015 Lisbeth Tarlow and Stephen Kay Art Wall in the Eunice and Julian Cohen Galleria (Gallery 265)
An exploration of the colonization of Latin American and the legacy that it left behind, Latino artist Gonzalo Fuenmayor’s art pays homage to his Colombian heritage. Latin America and Europe collide with one another in his work, assisted by a sense of magical realism, a genre that would be incomplete without the inclusion of Latino authors such as Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez, and others. Much of Fuenmayor’s work was inspired by a trip to Leticia, Colombia.