BOSTON, Nov. 4, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Saturday, November 20, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) opens the doors to its highly anticipated wing for the Art of the Americas and Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Family Courtyard with a free community day.  The wing and courtyard are the focal points of the Museum's expansion and renovation project, designed by architects Foster + Partners (London).

A press preview will take place in the new wing on Friday, November 12, beginning at 10:00 a.m. RSVP to pr@mfa.org.

The wing represents the most expansive initiative focused on American art and culture happening in the world today.  It offers a broad context for American art, expanding the definition to include works from North, Central, and South America that span the course of three millennia, up to the late 20th century.  Works are presented together in a wide range of media, including paintings, sculpture, works on paper, furniture, decorative arts, musical instruments, textiles, fashion, and jewelry.

More than 5,000 works from the Museum's Art of the Americas collections are on view—double the number previously displayed—on four floors in 53 galleries, including nine period rooms and four behind the scenes educational galleries.  The 121,307-square-foot wing includes 51,338 square feet of gallery space.  Iconic pieces include: more than 40 works by John Singer Sargent, including his masterpiece, The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit (1882); Paul Revere's historic Sons of Liberty Bowl (1768); Winslow Homer's Boys in a Pasture (1874); stained glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany; a quilt (1895–98) by former slave Harriet Powers; Joseph Stella's Old Brooklyn Bridge (about 1941); Cesar Paternosto's Staccato (1965); Ancient South America goldwork; and Native North American patterned ceramics.

Complementing the wing is the soaring glass Shapiro Family Courtyard—one of the most distinctive architectural spaces in Boston, which serves as a central meeting place for visitors.  There is also a new auditorium, a visitor center, classrooms, and conservation labs.  

In a new space for special exhibitions, the Ann and Graham Gund Gallery, the exhibition Fresh Ink: Ten Takes on Chinese Tradition features work by 10 contemporary Chinese artists.

Visit www.mfa.org/thenewmfa for an overview of the Museum's building initiatives, and a link to the Press Room. Images are available upon request.

SOURCE The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

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