I had this idea that I would like to have set ups for still lifes on a kind of pedestal where I could easily change the height, from above eye level to below eye level. So I had an old rack from a stage light converted by Mr. Ahrens who has his metal workshop just adjacent to my studio ( he has already built a number of things for me )- So as soon as I had my new tool I of course had to try it out... here is the first result. Btw., the wooden hand is attached to a string which regulates the main lights in my studio. Ich hatte die Idee fr eine Art Podest auf dem ich Stillleben inszenieren kann. Die Hhe sollte sich leicht verstellen lassen, ober- oder unterhalb Augenhhe, usw. Ich gab also Herrn Ahrens, der seine Feinmechanik Werkstatt gleich neben meinem Atelier hat (er hat schon einiges fr mich gebaut) den Auftrag, mir aus dem Stativ eines alten Bhnenscheinwerfers so ein Podest zu bauen. Und, als ich das fertige Werkzeug hatte musste ich es natrlich gleich ausprobieren ... und hier ist das erste Ergebnis. Die Hand ist brigens aus Holz und an einer Schnur befestigt die das Deckenlicht im Atelier reguliert.  read more »

7/23/2008 - 11/9/2008 This exhibition includes about 120 works by the leading designers and fabricators of late nineteenth- to early twentieth-century Art Nouveau jewelry. Although many of these artists acquired their skills in traditional, high-style jewelry houses, they found inspiration in the work of the Pre-Raphaelites, the philosophy of John Ruskin (18191900), the paintings and poetry of the symbolists, and the arts of Japan. For motifs, they looked to the flora (orchids, lilies) and fauna (dragonflies, butterflies) of the natural world and the sensuality of the female form.  read more »

6/30/2008 - 10/1/2008 This select installation in the Lower Rotunda features masterpieces of twentieth-century modernism from the Lane Collection, including the lyrical Dancing Willows by Arthur G. Dove, shown above. Also on view are works by Stuart Davis, John Marin, Charles Sheeler, and Georgia OKeeffe. Location: Lower Rotunda Click here for details (c) 2006 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

6/20/2008 - 1/4/2009 At the heart of the second floor of the Evans Wing, at the top of the great staircase that opens from the new State Street Corporation Fenway Entrance, enjoy a special installation of some of the MFA's greatest European portraits. Paintings and sculpture span the Renaissance to the twentieth century, including canvases by Moroni and Gainsborough, by Degas and van Gogh, and by Matisse and Beckmannas well as marble busts by Canova and Thorvaldsen. Sitters, some unknown, include the poet Lord Byron, Degas's younger sister, and van Gogh's great friend Augustine Roulin. Location: Upper Hemicycle Click here for details (c) 2006 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

4/8/2008 - 9/7/2008 In honor of the second Red Sox World Series Championship in four seasons and opening day in Japan and Boston, the MFA proudly presents "Rockwell and the Shinjin: Celebrating Baseball and the Red Sox." The exhibition, on view in the Upper Rotunda, features The Rookie by beloved American artist Norman Rockwell. This popular painting, briefly on loan to the Museum, depicts the Red Sox locker room in 1957. The image appeared that year on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post . Two of the Red Sox 2007 rookies, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima, hail from Japan, where the season opened this year. These shinjin ("rookie" in their native language) were among the first Japanese players to join the team.  read more »

1/26/2008 - 8/10/2008 Throughout Asia birds and flowers have been cherished for their beauty, but they have carried rich symbolic messages as well. For example, the lotusa delicate bloom born of the muck of a pondwas adopted early in India as a Buddhist metaphor for the beauty of the soul that can emerge from the mire of human existence. In China, Korea, and Japan, mandarin ducks have been emblems of marital fidelity, while hawks serve as symbols of military prowess. Paintings of native Japanese birds and flowers have been appreciated primarily for their evocation of the seasons and the traditional poetic emotions associated with them.  read more »

12/15/2007 - 9/14/2008 Zhang Daqian (1899-1983) casts a long shadow over the modern history of Chinese painting. As a painter, he was known for his singular ability to mix traditional techniques and styles with contemporary ideas and currents. As a collector, he accumulated important examples from all genres of Chinese painting and left behind copious seals and inscriptions. As a forger, Zhang so mastered the art of deception that his fakes were purchased unwittingly by nearly every major art museum in the United Statesthe MFA included. Indeed, the first question asked by experts when a work is considered suspect is: Could this be by Zhang Daqian?  read more »