Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Reviews 4

MA

Mary Cain

I traveled 350 miles round-trip to go to see the Botticelli exhibit today. I brought my son along also an avid art student from Cooper Union for the Arts. The way that we were treated is unconscionable. From the beginning of when we went into the entrance and were stopped by the security gard which was right next to the parking lot to the three security personnel who profiled my son a professional artist and demanded that he surrender his personal gear. Demanded that he check it into the coat check when the coat check staff knew that he was going on to the free art class that is held on Wednesday nights and had all his supplies in them. And they said it was okay, Yet to be stopped by two additional security personnel I was in tears by the time I got home. It was a terrible experience and it was definitely a profiling example. We saw many others who had large bags, backpacks, purses I took pictures. And at no point on entering the museum did anyone state that they were not allowed. We purchased our tickets online, no mention that there was a problem. Can you imagine having anyone tell you how you cant put your purse on two shoulders but they thought they had that right. They thought that because they could intimidate, that they would be able to. I think its awful. I will never go there again and nor would I recommend anyone else go there again. In addition to that, not only were there not enough staff for the amount of people. Many times you couldnt find a single person to ask a question . The added price that you pay for a brochure or guide, the electronic technology I got to use it for about 2 hours and I had to turn mine in because it was no battery left in it. So I did find my way back to the additional original place where I got it in order to get another one. And then the end of the time that we were there, there was no one at that desk and I wound up going halfway through the museum again to drop it off because no one would take it in the interim! What kind of customer service is that? And speaking of customers, who puts one deli worker in the very fast pace coffee shop near the book store to handle hundreds of people in line? There is mismanagement at this particular Museum and it needs to stop. They are making tons of money on you going in there and there is no excuse for them not to have top personnel, individuals who will answer questions for you in places The most frequent thing that I heard throughout the four hours I was there was "how do I get out of here, Im not sure where I came in and theres nobody to ask?" And about the free modeling classes which they held they were overwhelmed they couldnt keep up they werent ready they didnt have chairs for the people they didnt explain what was going on people were coming in they had no idea that they could sketch ice told several other people that the all they had to do is go and get the paper and the clipboard and a pencils are all right there but nobody was giving that information out to the General Public. So if you dont mind wasting your money getting frustrated and not enjoying what you thought you would because youd been there before and you expected it to be similar, then go ahead visit. Otherwise do something else something far different something far more enjoyable and stay away from here.

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George Anschutz

The MFA is amazing in every way. The design of the museum lends to privacy and quiet study of the art, even on a busy day, although the special exhibits are crowded. What struck me most is that there are several "rooms" where several media are presented in a realistic setting. There are, of course, lots of galleries where art is displayed like I usually see it in museums, but I was most taken with the realistic settings. Be sure to check out the Winslow Homer collection. There are maybe ten paintings displayed, and I bet Ive seen five of them in art textbooks. The presentation of ancient Egyptian sculpture is so realistic that the temperature in the room is warmer than in the rest of the museum. There is a fabulous table of inlaid stone with a diagram of whats in it. That table by itself is worth the trip to the museum. There is a delightful and interesting collection of musical instruments. Its the first time Ive ever seen an ophicleide in person. The Deco Story and Clark electric piano would look so nice in my living room. Theyre smart to have security. Plus, they have a vintage Broadwood piano, which was the pioneer of the metal frame piano. My first visit was on a Thursday morning and I got right in. They informed me that I could get a second visit within 10 days, so I went back on Sunday. When I arrived the second time, there was a line outside waiting to gain access to the second line inside. I mistakenly informed the person at the door that I already had a ticket, and she let me right in. I showed my ticket to the security guard, and he told me Id have to get in the long line for an alternative ticket, which of course is understandable, but was still annoying. It was about a 15-minute wait in line. My advice is that if you go on a busy Sunday, you might want to investigate online ticketing. On the flip side, while in line I ended up in a delightful conversation with a Boston couple who beamed when I sang the praises of their hometown museum and that I was back for a second round. Thanks to all who worked to give me such an outstanding experience.

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A Private User

Excellent and interesting. A good collection of wide variety of arts & sculptures Being a person from Nepal, my attention was drawn on some exhibits in the Himalayan/Chinese gallery. Some items such as Avalokiteswor, Manjushri, Green Star(Harit Tara), White Star(Swet Tara) and some Buddha sculptures are labeled as Tibeto-Chinese. In my opinion these exhibits should be from Nepal for the following reasons. 1) The names of Avalokiteswor, Manjushri, Harit Tara, Swet Tara originate from Sanskrit language, ancient language of Nepal.These are not Chinese/Tibetian words. 2) These sculptors bear a mark on the forehead, which is called TIKA. Tika is worn by most of the Nepalese. Tika is not worn by Chinese and Tibetians.3) According to Nepalese history, Kathmandu valley, capital of Nepal, used to be a large lake in ancient time. Manjushri was the person who cut the hill rocks to let water flow out of the valley and made settlements possible there.4) Avalokiteswor is regarded as a deity in Nepal. Every year a great festive procession is organized to worship the god. 5) According to history, Harit tara(Green star) is also known as Bhrikuti, a Nepalese princess, who was married to a Chinese prince. In view of the above facts I would like to request MFA Boston to verify the authenticity of the origin of the above items in the museum

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Stefanie Rozek

I am a total art lover, so it goes without saying that I love the MFA, especially the Impressionist wing. The first time Id gone was on a school trip when I was 8, and I just loved the mummy exhibit and ancient art sculptures. Ive enjoyed going back ever since. Though the MFA can seem intimidating and easy to get lost in, the volunteers are very friendly, and some will even walk part of the way with you to the exhibits you want to see. On a whim, my mother-in-law and I went on a museum tour (highlights of the European collection), which neither of us had done before though wed both been to the MFA many times. We had Lydia (or it may have been Linda) as our tour guide, and she was great! Not only was she informative, but she did a great job at injecting life and humor into some of the pieces we saw. The MFA also offers in-person tours in French and Spanish for those who want the tour experience but speak a language other than English. There are also a few cafes/restaurants inside the MFA, which makes it easy to take a tea/coffee break, and the gift shops have every piece of merchandise imaginable to man. Im always coming back here for special exhibits or to revisit existing ones--theres always something new that I missed or didnt have the time to check out before.

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