Martin Johnson Heade, Passion Flowers and Hummingbirds , about 1870–83, oil on canvas, 15 ½ x 21 5/8 in, Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Gift of Maxim Karolik for the M. and M. Karolik Collection of American Paintings.
Nature Illuminated: Landscapes and Still Lifes by Heade and his Contemporaries
February 6 – June 5, 2016
Martin Johnson Heade was one of the most varied and inventive painters of the late nineteenth century and unique in devoting equal time to landscape, marine, and still life subjects. Drawn from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston’s preeminent collection of Heade’s work, this exhibition will present the artist’s great creative range. Heade created evocative marsh scenes and powerful canvases of dramatic thunderstorms at sea that established him as a landscapist. At the same time, he produced scintillating Victorian flower still lifes and exquisite studies of South American hummingbirds, explorations that would culminate in the extraordinary, wholly original combination of the jewel-like birds with lush, tropical orchids.
Timeless: Robert Farber’s Fashion Photography
February 10–August 31, 2025
The works featured in Timeless are drawn from two major bodies of work: Robert Farber’s Vintage Fashion series, captured during commercial shoots, and the Deterioration series, which consists of prints from his earlier fashion photography.
Well-Dressed: Artworks from the Permanent Collection
February 10–September 14, 2025
This thematic permanent exhibition explores the intersection of fashion, identity, performance, and self-expression. It brings together dozens of artworks, some familiar and others rarely on display.