The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) is a unique space where you can cover more than 5,000 years of art history in just a single afternoon. As with most major collections, displays rotate and pieces are often loaned, so it’s always best to check what’s on view before you go. Regardless of what’s on show, you are guaranteed to be awed at the sheer quality and quantity of priceless works on display.
These are the best Museum of Fine Arts Boston highlights to seek out on your next visit.
1. Dance at Bougival (Pierre-Auguste Renoir – 1883)
Renoir painted this lively Parisian scene in the village of Bougival, about nine miles west of Paris, during a burst of creativity in the 1880s. The model, Suzanne Valadon, later became a celebrated artist herself, and her son was the painter Maurice Utrillo.
When the painting first reached Boston in 1887, critics were divided, with some calling it “vulgar” while others praised its vitality. Today, it’s one of the most beloved MFA highlights and often returns to its prime spot in the Impressionist gallery.
2. The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit (John Singer Sargent – 1882)
Sargent painted this in Paris for a prominent Boston family, capturing four sisters in an unconventional, almost cinematic composition inspired by Velázquez’s Las Meninas. The two enormous Japanese vases seen in the painting stand beside it in the gallery, creating a rather surreal link between art and life.
The work’s unusual balance of light and space puzzled critics in 1883, but it helped cement Sargent’s reputation as a daring portraitist long before his return to America.
3. Silver Tea Set (Paul Revere – ca. 1773–75)
Paul Revere was among Boston’s finest silversmiths long before he became a Revolutionary War hero. This gorgeous tea set was crafted in the years leading up to American independence, a time when tea itself carried political weight.
The MFA holds the largest public collection of Revere’s silver, a clear view of Boston’s blend of artistry and patriotism in the 1770s. Interestingly, few realize that Revere also made false teeth, engraved currency, and helped found a pioneering copper mill after the war.
4. Egyptian Coffins and Mummies (Middle Kingdom to Late Period)
The museum’s Egyptian collection began through archaeological digs co-led with Harvard University in the early 1900s. Among its treasures is the coffin of Nesmut, a temple singer from Thebes, dating to around 950 BC. Many of these objects were excavated at Deir el-Bersha and Giza under permits that divided finds between Egypt and Boston.
With the recent opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston offers a fantastic link between early excavations and modern Egyptology.
5. Samurai Armor (17th Century)
The museum’s Japanese holdings are among the strongest outside Japan, thanks to early Boston collectors like Ernest Fenollosa, who gathered art at a time when Japan was just beginning to open up to the West.
The samurai armor on display, lacquered and gilded, was worn by a high-ranking Edo-period warrior. Many such suits were burned or repurposed during Japan’s modernization in the late 1800s, so it’s wonderful to see the centuries of care bestowed on the displays here. If you love Asian art, you’ll love this MFA highlight.
6. Grainstack (Sunset) (Claude Monet – 1891)
Monet painted more than 25 versions of these grainstacks, each at a different time of day to study how light and color changed from dawn to sunset. When the MFA purchased it in 1892, it became one of the first Monets acquired by an American museum.
That early investment, and subsequent enthusiasm for the piece, showed that Boston collectors were way ahead of the curve in embracing modern French art in the US and, some critics would argue, even in Europe. The purchase was seen as a bold move when many still viewed Impressionism as unfinished or eccentric, and it remains an undisputed highlight of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
7. Beaded Bandolier Bag (Anishinaabe – 19th Century)
This beaded bag was made by an Anishinaabe artist from the Great Lakes region in the 1800s. The intricate designs were created with glass beads brought over by European traders, a blend of Indigenous art with new materials from across the ocean.
Bandolier bags like this were worn during community gatherings and ceremonies, often passed down through generations. Today, the MFA works with Anishinaabe descendants to learn more about each piece’s origins and meaning, part of the museum’s ongoing effort to present Native art through collaboration rather than observation.
8. Drug Store (Edward Hopper – 1927)
Hopper painted this New York corner shop in 1927, focusing on the quiet stillness of the city after dark. The single glowing “Ex-Lax” sign was a real advertisement of the time.
When the MFA bought the painting in 1948, it became one of the first Hoppers in any American museum. Snapshots of “daily life” might be mainstream today, but it was incredibly avant-garde at the time.
9. Beyond Brilliance: Jewelry Highlights From the Collection
Opened in 2023, this glittering permanent gallery brings together 4,000 years of jewelry design, from ancient Egyptian gold collars to modern diamond art by renowned brands such as Tiffany. The display shows how people across time used jewelry to express power, faith, or love. One absolute standout piece is a Renaissance pendant carved with tiny mythological scenes, made when such jewels were seen as wearable works of art.
