Museums’ exhibits range from ‘Pooh’ to ‘Pearl’
Greater Boston boasts a bounty of world-class museums, and this fall lucky visitors get to reap those riches by checking out new, fabulous exhibits. Here are a few of our faves: Museum of Fine Arts,
Boston: “Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic.” That silly old bear is having a moment, between the recent movie “Christopher Robin” starring Ewan McGregor and the MFA’s extravaganza exhibit spotlighting the beloved teddy. The classic stories written by A.A. Milne were first published in 1926 and translated into more than 50 languages, immortalized in Disney movies for new generations. The exhibit traces the history and appeal of Pooh, through original drawings, manuscripts, proofs and early editions, letters, photographs, cartoons, ceramics and fashion from the archives of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Walt Disney Co., Egmont Publishing, the Shepard Trust and the University of Surrey.
Kids and adults can explore set pieces and enjoy video and audio, including a 1929 recording of Milne reading “Winnie-the-Pooh.” In addition to a slide and foot bridge for families to play on, children can go inside Pooh’s home and Christopher Milne’s childhood bedroom — complete with a bed for kids to sit on and read. Even Eeyore would approve.
“Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic” is on view from Sept. 22 to Jan. 6, 2019; timed-entry tickets are required. Learn more at mfa. org.
Peabody Essex Museum,
Salem: “Empresses of China’s Forbidden City.” Think the Real Housewives are living large? They have nothing on the Chinese empresses of old. The PEM’s lavish exhibition spotlights the role of empresses in China’s last dynasty — the Qing dynasty — from 1644 to 1912. Nearly 200 opulent objects from the Palace Museum — from pearl jewelry to jade pottery, stunning portraits and more — tell how imperial women influenced court politics, art and religion.
“Empresses of China’s Forbidden City” is on view through Feb. 10, 2019. Learn more at pem.org. Isabella Stewart Gardner
Museum, Boston: “Common Threads: Weaving Stories Across Time.” Mrs. Gardner loved textiles, and to celebrate, the museum’s new exhibition features works from contemporary artists from around the world. There’s a twist, of course — they redefine textile art through mediums such as music, video and participatory art. Works by artists El Anatsui, William Kentridge, Lee Mingwei, the Raqs Media Collective, Elaine Reichek and Nevet Yitzhak, and “Standard Incomparable” will be installed in Hostetter Gallery in the new building. The Tapestry Room in the historic Palace will host a newly commissioned, site-specific art work, “True Pearl: An Opera, in Five Tapestries” by David Lang.
Highlights include a digital multimedia installation inspired by Afghan prayer rugs; an opportunity for visitors to bring personal articles of clothing for mending; and a collection of weavings made by people from all over the globe who followed the same set of instructions but ended up with very different results.
Award-winning composer Lang’s “True Pearl” is a new form of opera. Inspired by Isabella Stewart Gardner’s 16th century tapestries that tell the story of the first king of Persia, Cyrus the Great, the five-part “in-ear opera” is a private experience, available only through headphones in the Museum’s Tapestry Room. The “stage set” for each scene is an individual tapestry from the Cyrus serie.
“Common Threads: Weaving Stories Across Time” runs from Oct. 4 to Jan. 13, 2019. Learn more at gardnermuseum.org.