Boston: MFA, Boston Loves Impressionism

One of my favorite places to visit in Boston is the Museum of Fine Art. I simply love taking the trip over there and spending as many hours there as I can amongst all the quiet, beauty and inspiration. We are truly lucky to have such an enormous museum filled with such great works at our fingertips (okay maybe a little bit beyond our fingertips).

In the past, the MFA has been so gracious in having me organize small groups of Boston area artists, writers, photographers and bloggers for private press tours. You can see my experience with Mario Testino, take a tour of Sargent or join me for Hippie Chic.

Yesterday was a special treat because I had the chance to invite some inspiring Boston creatives and meet them for the first time at the MFA's latest "crowdsourced" exhibit, "Boston Loves Impressionism". I finally got to meet Brayan, Lauren, Cambria, Courtney, Caitlin and Patrick and also got to see some friends Ana, Laura and Surabhi.

There's no better way to celebrate creativity than to learn from a great curator of the arts and Emily Beeny, assistant curator of the Boston Loves Impressionism exhibit was the perfect person to tell us all about the collection.

To see everyone's photos from the show, check out the tag #hoggerandmfa on Instagram.

"Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer", original model 1878-81, cast after 1921, Degas (Boston's third favorite Impressionist work, with 2,869 votes)

Emily Beeny, Assisstant Curator of the exhibit, standing in front of my favorite, "Ballet Dancer with Arms Crossed", c. 1872, Degas

Credits: Top Row (L-R) "Gustave Caillebotte, Man at His Bath Man Drying Himself, 1884."@patrickcryan, "Vincent van Gogh, Ravine, 1889." @thirdeyechic, "Vincent van Gogh, Houses at Auvers, 1890." @anasantos Middle Row (L-R): "Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Mixed Flowers in an Earthenware Pot, about 1869." and "Paul Cézanne, Fruit and a Jug on a Table, about 1890–94." @brayanmess, @hoggerandco, Curator Emily Beene @thebostoncal Bottom Row (L-R): "Claude Monet, Water Lilies, 1907." @anasantos, @bostondaybook,"Edgar Degas, Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer, original model 1878–81, cast after 1921." @hoggerandco

Boston was given the opportunity to vote for their favorite work from a group of fifty Impressionist and Post-Impressionst masterpieces from the MFA's collection, and the top three were:

1. Vincent van Gogh's "House at Auvers" (1890) with 4,464 votes

2. Claude Monet's, "Water Lillies" (1907) with 3,543 votes

3. Edgar Degas' "Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer" (original model 1878-81, cast after 1921) with 2,839 votes

The top three as voted by Boston. Instagram credit @thebostoncalBoston's love for Impressionism began early, back in 1870, with Bostonians, who were either artists themselves or knew of artists working abroad, buying works at a bargain. This was all at a time when neither Paris nor New York considered theses Impressionist works to be of any value. Lucky for us, right?

Credits: Top Row (L-R): @brayanmess, "Edgar Degas, Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer, original model 1878–81, cast after 1921." @anasantos, "Claude Monet, Grand Canal, Venice, 1908." and "Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Grand Canal, Venice, 1881." @hoggerandco Middle Row (L-R): @courtperkins, @laurenswells, "Claude Monet, Entrance to the Village of Vétheuil in Winter, 1879." @cambria_grace Bottom Row (L-R): "Claude Monet, Grand Canal, Venice, 1908." @bostondaybook, @caitrus, @thebostoncal

Of course, one can't look at art without building up an appetite! Laura, Ana and I headed to the glorious light-filled atrium for what we thought would be a simple cup of tea but which turned into a full fledged luncheon. And you know, ladies who lunch....often become subjects for photography...

Boston Loves Impressionism is on until May 26 2014.