The exhibition is entitled Philip Guston Now and runs through September 11, 2022 at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
A visit to Boston is not complete unless one peruses the marvelous Museum of Fine Arts. I was particularly interested in the Guston exhibition.
Guston was the child of Jewish emigres to Canada from Odessa and is considered by many as one of the most important artists of the 20th century.
In May 2013, his work To Fellini was sold by Christie’s at auction for US$25.8 million.
Guston’s oeuvre is described as abstract expressionism, neoexpressionism, and figurative. Some of his work is viewed from a controversial perspective and as such, the museum posted warnings about the content displayed in the exhibition. In his works, Guston frequently characterized not only injustice in America by examining groups like the Ku Klux Klan, but the tragedy of the European Holocaust spanning before and through the conclusion of World War II.
Here are some of the museum’s narratives about the sometimes controversial content of Guston’s work on display. I have not posted the displays in question as they are in cases to be manually opened and closed by an observer. You’ll have to visit and see for yourself.
The museum invited patrons to comment on the exhibition. Here are instructions and a sample comment.
Here is a sampling of Guston’s works and a slight diversion I took at the museum into the musical instruments display.
The museum hosts splendid indoor and outdoor spaces with a fabulous restaurant. Its exhibits are wonderfully curated, rich, and diverse. You’ll want to visit when you’re in Boston.
Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Avenue of the Arts
465 Huntington Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02115
617-267-9300
While we were in Boston we dined at the Mare Oyster Bar.
