Bøger udgivet af MFA Publications

Exceptional works from the Boston-based couple's collection, a tribute to the Golden Age of Flemish and Dutch cultureA woman gazing squarely at the artist, arm akimbo; a lush tablescape with oysters and sweets; a sweeping view of Haarlem under a grand sky; and an intimate tavern scene. These are just a few of the scenes from the 36-piece painting collection of Susan and Matthew Weatherbie--which, as a whole, celebrates the flourishing of the arts in Belgium and the Netherlands during the 17th century. After 20 years of conscientious accumulation, the Boston-based couple donated the majority of their impressive collection to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 2017.Featuring exquisite reproductions alongside entries by a preeminent scholar in the field, Timeless Splendor offers an invitation to explore works by Frans Hals, Jan Brueghel the Elder, Anthony van Dyck, Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Steen, among others. A scholarly resource, the publication features detailed provenance, catalog entries, artist biographies and reflections by the collectors themselves.

One of the most celebrated painters of his day, John Singer Sargent defines for many the style, optimism and opulence of turn-of-the-century America. Among his renowned portraits, "The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit" stands alongside "Madame X" and "Lady Agnew of Lochnaw" as one of Sargent's immortal images. This painting depicts four young sisters in the spacious foyer of the family's Paris apartment, strangely dispersed across the murky tones and depths of the square canvas, as though unrelated to one another, unsettled and unsettling to the eye. "The Daughters" both affirms and defies convention, flouting the boundaries between portrait and genre scene, formal composition and quick sketch or snapshot. Unveiled at the Paris Salon of 1883, it predated by just two years the scandal of "Madame X" and was itself characterized by one critic as "four corners and a void"; but Henry James came closer to the mark when he described the painter as a "knock-down insolence of talent," for few of Sargent's works embody the epithet as well as "The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit." Drawing on numerous unpublished archival documents, scholar Erica E. Hirshler excavates all facets of this iconic canvas, discussing not only its significance as a work of art but also the figures and events involved in its making, its importance for Sargent's career, its place in the tradition of artistic patronage and the myriad factors that have contributed to its lasting popularity and relevance. The result is an aesthetic, philosophical and personal tour de force that will change the way you look at Sargent's work, and that both illuminates an iconic painting and reaffirms its pungent magnetism.

A stunning selection of musical instruments, from ancient times to the presentMusical instruments are among the most meaningful artifacts produced by humankind, a marriage of technology, artistry, symbolism, religion and entertainment. Musical Instruments presents over 100 examples from the MFA's world-renowned collection, spanning a breadth of centuries and cultures, offering a brilliant array of instruments as producers of both aural and visual delight. The pieces shown here--which range from an ancient Greek trumpet to a modern lap steel guitar, from earthenware panpipes to the phenomenally complex Indonesian gamelan--are remarkable not only for the myriad sounds they produce, but also for their attractive, at times breathtaking, extraordinarily varied physical aspects. As objects of both cultural expression and sculptural craft, these are among the most exquisite and intriguing instruments ever created. More than a mere picture book, however, this latest title in the MFA Highlights series offers, as do its companion volumes, an accessible introduction to the genre, bringing to the fore the full richness, artistry and significance of musical instruments around the world.

Originally published: London: Thames and Hudson, 1973. With new afterword.

The masterpieces of Chinese painting over the past millennium -- culled from the extensive collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston -- are lucidly presented in this scholarly and beautifully illustrated catalogue. The pieces discussed range from historical allegories from the 1st century A D., to breathtaking 12th century landscapes, to precisely observed animal scenes from the era of the Yuan Dynasty -- the finest examples of the world's oldest continuing painting tradition. Also considered are the relationships between Chinese painting and other forms of art -- particularly calligraphy, which was central to traditional Chinese culture. An informed and comprehensive introduction by scholar Wu Tung sets the works in their historical and social contexts.