| A plot of land, a relaxing retreat, a formal landscape, a place of constant labor: gardens can carry a range of associations, especially in the world of art. Framing Nature: Gardens and Imagination brings together art from across the MFA’s global collection to explore striking similarities and differences across time and place. |
| The exhibition features both beloved favorites and previously unseen treasures, all centering the garden as a fertile place for human creativity and imaginative possibility. Works ranging from enchanting tapestries and intricately detailed Chinese scrolls give the illusion of garden spaces. Modern and contemporary prints, drawings, photographs, and paintings bring visitors on an immersive journey through a variety of cultivated and natural worlds. Visitors can look at how we relate to the outdoors, shape garden spaces through cultivation, care, and labor, and express this universal human impulse through art. |
| Framing Nature coincides with the 50th anniversary of Art in Bloom (May 1 through May 3, 2026). This beloved tradition pairs art with floral interpretations created by New England area garden clubs, professional floral designers, and volunteers. |
| Framing Nature: Gardens and the Imagination is on view at the MFA from March 15 through June 28, 2026, in the Ann and Graham Gund Gallery. Timed-entry tickets are required for all visitors and can be reserved on mfa.org or purchased at the Museum. Member Preview takes place from March 11 through 14. Tickets go on sale to members on February 4 and to the public on February 10. |
| Generous support is provided by Penny Vinik. Additional support is provided by the Laura and Tait Nielsen Exhibition Fund, the James & Virginia Welch Foundation, the Loring Textile Gallery Exhibition Fund, the Wendy Lipsey Ecker and Family Exhibition and Publication Fund for Fashion, Textiles and Jewelry, the Patricia B. Jacoby Exhibition Fund, and the Ellen and Robert Jaffe Fund. Media partner is WCVB Channel 5 Boston. |
