Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

We're proud to announce Pierre Terjanian as the MFA's next director! 📢 Currently the MFA’s Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Conservation, Pierre succeeds Matthew Teitelbaum and will assume his new role on July 1, 2025. Pierre has 28 years of experience at three major U.S. museums, including the MFA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He began his tenure at the MFA in January 2024 as a leadership team member overseeing stewardship of the Museum’s renowned global collection of more than 500,000 objects and all conservation activities. A dedicated scholar with operational and management expertise, Pierre directs the development and implementation of the MFA’s exhibition program—both in Boston and touring around the world. Learn more about him in our press release: http://ms.spr.ly/6043qF549

We're proud to announce Pierre Terjanian as the MFA's next director! 📢 Currently the MFA’s Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Conservation, Pierre succeeds Matthew Teitelbaum and will assume his new role on July 1, 2025. Pierre has 28 years of experience at three major U.S. museums, including the MFA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He began his tenure at the MFA in January 2024 as a leadership team member overseeing stewardship of the Museum’s renowned global collection of more than 500,000 objects and all conservation activities. A dedicated scholar with operational and management expertise, Pierre directs the development and implementation of the MFA’s exhibition program—both in Boston and touring around the world. Learn more about him in our press release: http://ms.spr.ly/6043qF549

Join us on May 8 to welcome Jamaica Kincaid, one of the most highly acclaimed writers of her generation. Her latest book, a collaboration with artist Kara Walker, is "An Encyclopedia of Gardening for Colored Children." Following the program, head over to the Linde Family Wing Bookstore and Shop for a book signing! Tickets are on sale now for this Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Celebrity Lecture: http://ms.spr.ly/6046qIMv2

Lovingly called the "Big Head" by locals, John Wilson's "Eternal Presence" was commissioned by the National Center of Afro-American Artists and installed on its grounds in 1987. The sculpture has since become a cornerstone of the Roxbury community. A reduced-scale bronze maquette for "Eternal Presence" is the centerpiece of "Witnessing Humanity: The Art of John Wilson," the largest-ever exhibition dedicated to the Roxbury native, currently on view at the MFA: http://ms.spr.ly/6043qvqhb The monumental sculpture's form was inspired in part by large stone Buddha sculptures in the MFA's collection, which the artist studied as a student at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in the 1940s, as well as the commanding presence of giant Olmec heads he saw in Mexico in the 1950s. The goal of the sculpture, for Wilson, was "to make a Black image that you could not ignore." The exhibition is sponsored by the JLH Fund and the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation.

"A pinpoint study of his brief stint in the southern French town of Arles, it all but glows with the warmth and amity — indeed, the love — he found there." Read more in Boston Globe Media about "Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits," the first-ever exhibition dedicated to the Roulin portraits and the deep bonds of friendship between the artist and this family: http://ms.spr.ly/6047qt1kW

Born in Palestine and based in Michigan, artist Nihad Dukhan is a certified master of both Arabic and Islamic calligraphy. Although an expert in multiple script styles, Dukhan has a penchant for riqa’—while this Arabic script fell out of popularity over the last few hundred years, Dukhan believes its aesthetic suits 21st-century tastes. In "Fatiha in Riqqa’" (2023), the artist applies riqa’ to the Fatiha, the opening sura, or chapter, of the Qur’an, which followers of Islam recite during the five daily prayers. Celebrate Arab American Heritage Month with a visit to our Arts of Islamic Cultures Gallery to view Dukhan’s work and the work of other Arab American artists, including Wasma’a Chorbachi. 🎨: Nihad Dukhan (Palestinian, born in 1964), "Fatiha in Riqqa’" (2023), ink on paper

📢 As we approach the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s historic midnight ride later this month, we’re excited to tell you about a new upcoming project in our Art of the Americas Wing. In June 2026, we’ll unveil a major reinstallation of the 18th-century galleries located on the first floor—just ahead of the 250th anniversary of American independence on July 4. The reimagined displays will showcase both beloved and long unseen works from the MFA’s collection—from this iconic portrait by John Singleton Copley to new acquisitions that explore the role of art and artists in shaping our sense of national identity and collective history. The galleries will close for reinstallation in January 2026 and reopen that summer at our annual Juneteenth open house, kicking off a two-day “America at 250” celebration that offers free admission to Massachusetts residents and special programs exploring themes embedded in the nation’s founding—resistance, liberty, and revolution: http://ms.spr.ly/6041qqZAx 🖼️: John Singleton Copley (American, 1738–1815), "Paul Revere" (1768), oil on canvas

The MFA mourns the passing of Estrellita Karsh, whose unwavering dedication to the arts and enduring generosity have left an indelible mark on our institution. Estrellita and her late husband, renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh (1908–2002), were often found in the MFA’s galleries after moving to Boston in 1997. The couple became deeply involved in the city’s medical and cultural community and quickly made a lasting impact on the MFA’s department of photography—a legacy Estrellita would continue after her husband’s passing. Estrellita established the Estrellita and Yousuf Karsh Center for Photography at the MFA to recognize the importance of the Museum in Karsh's early development and to ensure that his artistic achievements—and the field of photography more broadly—would be celebrated and studied for generations to come. Her philanthropy was far reaching, with gifts of Yousuf’s portraits not only to the MFA, which houses the finest collection and archive of his work, but to museums across the globe. A collector in her own right, Estrellita was among the first Americans to collect Inuit art, which she delighted in exhibiting at the MFA in the 2017 exhibition “Follow the North Star: Inuit Art from the Collection of Estrellita and Yousuf Karsh.” 📷: Portraits of Estrellita Karsh by Yousuf Karsh (© Estate of Yousuf Karsh) and a photograph of Estrellita in the MFA's 2008 exhibition "Karsh 100."

On #TransDayOfVisibility we’re highlighting a new addition to our contemporary collection: “Indigenous Woman” (2018) by Martine Gutierrez. The artist created the 124-page photobook as a challenge to the gatekeeping and Western beauty standards of popular fashion magazines. She acted as model, stylist, editor-in-chief, creative director, and photographer in a dizzying array of DIY editorials and ads. Her intervention into the imagery and energy of fashion’s global commercialism destabilizes its power, as well as the fixity of assumed identity, shifting and transforming with each turn of the page. You’ll soon be able to see it up close in a new installation of works from our contemporary collection, opening April 12. © Martine Gutierrez

Vincent van Gogh yearned for meaningful connection. Now open, "Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits" is the first-ever exploration of the deep bonds of friendship between the artist and a neighboring family he met during his stay in Arles, in the South of France. Co-organized with the Van Gogh Museum, this exhibition traces Van Gogh’s friendship with this modest family, his admiration for his predecessors, his attempt to create a community of fellow artists, and his emotional ties to his supportive family and friends. It is a story of resilience and of the tender bonds between people that bring life greater meaning ❤️ 🎟️ Tickets for today (3/30) are sold out! Tickets for other dates are still available—we strongly recommend reserving in advance: http://ms.spr.ly/6047qmk89 Sponsored by Bank of America.