Revolutionary spirit and great art are in Boston’s DNA, meaning you’re rarely far from a picture-perfect historical landmark, fascinating cultural artifact or priceless Old Master. You can feel it on the Freedom Trail – the city’s comprehensive walk-through of the birth of America, in the family-run restaurants of the authentic Italian district, and in the bleeding-edge contemporary art galleries of Boston’s hip South End neighborhood.
And that’s just for starters. Beantown’s art museums are second-to-none, offering deep dives into the history and cultural heritage of Boston, the Americas and beyond. Two absolute titans of the scene, the Museum of Fine Arts and Institute of Contemporary Art feature highly on the hit-lists of many art-loving visitors to the city. We took a closer look at this dynamic duo to find out how they compare, including a smidgen of hstory, some of the treasures you can expect to find in each, and how to visit…
Museum of Fine Arts: the Lowdown
Vital Statistics: Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts (aka the Boston Art Museum) has been wowing visitors since 1870 and has been growing in size and popularity ever since. The museum moved to its current home – a suitably grand purpose-built neoclassical edifice complete with colonnades and a great rotunda (with frescoes by John Singer Sargent, no less) – in 1909. Since then, it has expanded to include a collection of some 500,000 pieces across 100 galleries, running the gamut from ancient artifacts to modern masterpieces. One of the biggest art museums on the planet, its stellar collection pulls in more than 1.2 million visitors every year.
The MFA in Brief: It’s not easy to be brief about a museum of this size and caliber, but we’ll try. Within its hallowed walls, the MFA houses thousands of rare treasures, from paintings and sculptures to musical instruments, pottery and textiles. In other words, pretty much everything from ancient Egyptian mummies to paintings by Monet, Van Gogh and Kahlo. Ogle Nubian pottery, Chinese ceramics and masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age, and experience the largest collection of Japanese art outside of Japan, including paintings, ceramics and 17th-19th-century ukiyo-e woodblock prints.
Getting in: Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts is open daily except Tuesdays. Hours are 10AM-5PM, with late opening until 10PM on Thursday and Friday. Tickets are included with a Boston pass from Go City. The pass includes access to dozens more activities, tours and attractions, including Paul Revere House, the Museum of Science, a Freedom Trail walking tour, a sunset harbor cruise, and more. Find out how you could save up to 50% with the Boston pass and get yours here.
MFA Highlights
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Give your neck a workout in the museum’s epic rotunda, where frescoes by John Singer Sargent adorn the domed ceiling.
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Don’t miss John Singleton Copley’s portrait of local hero Paul Revere, maker of the historic Sons of Liberty Bowl, which is also – natch – on display here at the museum.
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We’re in the Monet! We’re in the Monet! The MFA boasts one of the best collections of French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art outside of France, including landmark pieces by Monet, Manet, Renoir, Degas and others.
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Fans of Japanese art will be in clover, with over 100,000 pieces including woodblock prints, fine ceramics and Buddhist statues.
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Ancient Egypt is never less than utterly fascinating, and the MFA’s collection does not disappoint, with pieces that include Rameses III prisoner tiles, ancient idols, exquisite Nubian jewelry, and decorative sarcophagi.
Institute of Contemporary Art: the Lowdown
Vital Statistics: A relative upstart in comparison to the MFA, Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art opened over 60 years later, in 1936. Originally the Boston Museum of Modern Art, it has undergone several changes of name (and even more changes of location) before settling on the Institute of Contemporary Art (or ICA) in 1948 and, in 2006, the striking industrial-style Seaport District location it now calls home. The building, 65,000 square feet of gallery and performance space, houses a relatively modest permanent collection (hundreds rather than thousands of pieces), supplemented by rotating exhibitions, installations and performances that reflect the very best of the contemporary international art scene. It attracts around 200,000 visitors annually.
The ICA in Brief: The ICA’s permanent collection includes essential pieces from established and emerging artists, including many from past exhibitors. These include the likes of Cornelia Parker, Taylor Davis, Nan Goldin, Thomas Hirschhorn, Marlene Dumas and Laylah Ali, to name just a few. Check out the ICA website for information on all current and upcoming exhibitions.
Getting in: The ICA is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10AM-5PM, with late opening until 9PM on Thursday and Friday. General admission costs $20, but Thursday evening admission is free after 5PM – tickets are available from Thursday morning and advance booking is highly recommended.
ICA Highlights
- Jutting out over the harbor, the ICA’s Seaport District home is every bit the contemporary art space, all bright, intimate galleries; its glass corridors and elevators seem to float above the water below.
- Don’t miss Cornelia Parker’s signature ‘Hanging Fire’ sculpture, Kara Walker’s thought-provoking meditation on racism and gender discrimination, based on characters from Mark Twain's ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’, and the fine collection of photographs by Boston’s Nan Goldin.
- A ferry takes passengers over to the ICA Watershed outpost, where a single artist exhibits work from spring to fall each year. Past exhibitions have included large-scale installations and sculptures by the likes of Diana Thater, John Akomfrah, Firelei Báez and Guadalupe Maravilla.
Museum of Fine Arts Vs Institute of Contemporary Art Comparison: Which is Best?
Art aficionados will find much to enjoy in both the MFA and ICA. The Museum of Fine Arts takes the prize for the sheer variety and scope of its collection, and is likely to be the better choice for lovers of art history and antiquity. The Institute of Contemporary Art is by its very nature a far more niche experience, but with futuristic sculptures, paintings and installations that are no less eye-popping than those at the MFA. Don’t forget: you can visit the MFA with a Boston attraction pass from Go City, and Thursday evenings at the ICA are free so, heck, why not spoil yourself and do both?
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