‘Spin the Automaton’: Impressionism and Kunstkammer Galleries open June 4
The first time Claude Monet and his colleagues were called “Impressionists,’’ it wasn’t a compliment. The label came from critics disparaging their brushwork and bright palettes. Fortunately, they went about their business undeterred. Also fortunately, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts houses a great selection of their work, and fans of it will be happy to know that after a four-month renovation, the Sidney and Esther Rabb Gallery of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism in France is re-opening. The new 2,325 square foot space boasts 31-foot ceilings, a skylight, custom-made casework, LED lighting, a refinished floor, and the main attraction — 33 paintings and six sculptures by artists working in France between 1870 and 1900, including works by Monet, Degas, Renoir, and Van Gogh. The new digs offer viewers a chance to look at the familiar works with fresh eyes.
On the same day, the museum opens something completely different, the new Kunstkammer Gallery. Ostrich egg? Amber statuette of The Virgin? Whatever the small treasure, in 16th and 17th-century Europe, it was placed in a kunstkammer, or “cabinet of curiosity,’’ designed to show off artistic and natural wonders. The new gallery displays 123 collectors’ items made of materials like coconut shell, coral, amber, ivory, mother of pearl, and rock crystal. Some reveal social conventions of the day, such as the gorgeous “Diana and Stag Automaton,’’ which played a role in Trinkspeil, a courtly drinking game. The removable heads of the stag and hunting dog were filled with wine, and the wind-up automaton was sent for a spin around the banquet table. The person closest to its stopping point was required to drink.
The gallery’s objects are anchored by furniture masterpieces including a 16th-century inlaid Roman table top, and cabinets veneered with tortoise shell.
Both galleries open Wednesday, June 4 at the Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston. Museum hours: Sat-Tues 10 a.m.-4:45 p.m., Wed-Fri 10 a.m.-9:45 p.m. $25, $23 seniors and students, under 18 free on weekends and after 3 p.m. on weekdays. Wed after 4 p.m. admission for all is by voluntary donation. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com