By Stephanie Eisemann, News Correspondent
Vincent van Gogh out with me? This Valentine’s Day, the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) will celebrate with visitors by unveiling the winners of “Boston Loves Impressionism,” a special contest in which MFA-goers could cast their vote for their favorite pieces.
Karen Frascona, public relations director of the MFA, explained that the Impressionism Gallery – “one of the Museum’s most popular galleries” – will be closed for renovations until June 4. But rather than completely eliminate the gallery while improvements are made, the “Boston Loves Impressionism” contest was launched, which will result in a temporary exhibit in the Museum’s Torf Gallery showing the winners, until the renovations are complete.
According to a press release published by the MFA, “Bostonians were among the world’s first collectors of Impressionism [and] The Museum of Fine Arts soon reaped the benefits of Boston’s enthusiasm.”
Not only is this exhibit noteworthy because of Boston’s history with impressionism, but also because this will be the first poll-created exhibit the MFA has ever hosted.
“It was a great way for the museum to engage the public in a new way and demystify the curatorial process,” Frascona said.
Visitors were encouraged to contribute by voting on a selection of 50 of the MFA’s existing impressionist and post-impressionist pieces from Jan. 6 – 29. There was one category per week: “On the Water,” which was specific to seascapes, “From the Land,” which included landscapes and still lifes and “Of the People,” a selection of portraits, until the final week and finals round. Participants could vote up to once a day for the works they wanted to see included.
“The three different themes allowed curator Emily Beeny to group works by genre, rather than presenting all 50 together,” Franscona said.
Many of the artists included are world-renowned. “When I think of impressionists, I think of a group of artists who scientifically studied the effect of light on matter and used optical mixing to create paintings that have brought joy to viewers going on 150 years,” Milda Richardson, a Northeastern art history professor, said.
“The response has been amazing,” Frascona said. “It was exciting to see people weighing in on their favorite works of art … whether expressing awe for Monet’s talent, admiring Van Gogh’s brushwork or professing love for Renoir, the reaction was truly priceless.”
That passion was reflected in the sheer amount of participation in the MFA’s first attempt with polling, as over 41,000 votes cast via the museum’s Facebook page, website and heart-shaped QR codes throughout the museum.
The top 30 pieces have already been announced on the exhibit-specific Pinterest page, and include 13 Claude Monet masterpieces; both his famous “Water Lilies” and “Rouen Cathedral Façade” will be featured.
“I picked a lot of my favorite Van Gogh pieces, but I also picked some pieces that I thought were interesting that were falling behind in the voting,” sophomore physical therapy major Kayla Gomes said. “The ‘underdog,’ if you will. I thought voting for those pieces was just as important for the public to see because everyone knows Van Gogh or Monet, not everyone knows Cassatt or Caillebotte. That’s the one downside of this process.”
While acknowledging the disadvantage some lesser known pieces have, Gomes said, “I think this contest is a great way to get people excited about art and take ownership of what they want to see.”
Even Frascona herself participated every week.
“So many of these works are my favorites,” she said. “I’m mesmerized by ‘Morning on the Seine, near Giverny’ by Monet. I was so happy that this painting made it into the finals, along with ‘Little Fourteen Year Old Dancer’ by Degas. ‘Little Dancer’ was the only sculpture in the contest, and I love seeing little girls staring up at her and smiling during a visit to the MFA.”
While all 30 of the top pieces are guaranteed to be included, the top three works will be installed on a special wall and the remaining seven of the top ten pieces will be given special recognition in the display with a heart label, according to Frascona.
“There will also be five additional works included – loans from private collectors,” she said.
Anyone who voted received a free admission for two anytime during this upcoming opening weekend. The celebration will include a gallery talk with curator Emily Beeny, a screening of “When Harry Met Sally,” a musical performance by the Handel and Haydn Society and holiday-themed food like red velvet cupcakes, sparkling wine and custom Sweetheart candies. A full schedule of events is available on the MFA website.
Museum-goers continued to show their interest by crowding some of the other works on view at the MFA this past weekend, including American impressionist works. Dan Platt, a Boston resident, admired the works in these galleries over the weekend.
“The thing I like most about [impressionism] is that you can do anything with it,” he said. “It’s open to interpretation and it’s, I think the variety of it … is pretty impressive.”
While he has not participated in the contest, Platt, an MFA member, plans to attend the exhibit and admire his favorites, Degas and Cézanne.
“Boston Loves Impressionism” will be on view until May 26 and many of the pieces will later be returned to the gallery when the renovations are complete.
