The Art Newspaper

MFA Boston entrance reopens after nearly 30 years

By The Art Newspaper. Museums, Issue 192, June 2008
Published online: 01 June 2008

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is set to reopen one

of its original entrances on 20 June, after nearly 30 years. The Fenway entrance leading into the Evans Wing (left, before renovation) which faces the Back Bay Fens parkland has been closed since the early 1980s. It is the first major construction project to be realised as part of the museum’s $500m expansion campaign. Following a $10m gift from the State Street Corporation, the entrance, with its imposing façade of 22 Ionic columns and sculptural reliefs, will be renamed after the bank.

It has been renovated and expanded to include wheel­chair ramps on either side of the main stairs and more granite walkways. A lighting system has been installed to spotlight the neo-classical architecture and two reflecting pools with fountains have been built at the base of the ramps.

Located near the new American Art wing designed by London architect Foster and Partners, which is set to open in 2010, the Fenway entrance realigns visitor traffic along the north-south axis created by the museum’s original architect Guy Lowell.

To celebrate the opening, the museum is having a day of free admission on 22 June to all its exhibitions, including “El Greco to Velázquez: Art during the Reign of Philip III” (until 27 July).

Helen Stoilas