Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Gallery Renovations

Our Master Program Plan for the MFA campus proposed changes to exhibition areas throughout the Museum’s Main Building, resulting in the subsequent renovation of 16 galleries. Nine of the galleries reinterpret the MFA’s exceptional classical holdings, two provide venues for changing exhibitions, and five provide a refreshed and expanded setting for the MFA’s collection of Dutch and Flemish paintings and decorative arts.

Renovations include new mechanical systems and envelope upgrades supporting both visitor comfort and collections conservation. More connections between galleries improve visitor wayfinding, while digital technology adds to graphic didactic information, expanding collection interpretation for visitors of all ages. In the classical galleries, natural light now enters through perimeter clearstory windows, animating objects with diurnal sunlight patterns. The proportions and finishes of a new Dutch gallery suggest a 17^th century domestic interior, creating a setting for furnishings, paintings, and decorative arts that might have been in an Amsterdam house of the period.