Updated April 2026

As you walk by ancient exhibits in a museum, there are many stories that greet you. Through myths and legends you learn about the ancient artifact. Each piece has a backstory about how it was found, acquired and moved into the museum. It is amazing to learn how these neatly organized exhibits took years to come together.

At the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), the statue of Osiris stands shrouded except for his arms and the noticeable knee caps. At the base, hieroglyphics tell us about this ancient Egyptian god of life and death. The statue’s epic journey to get here is an interesting story.

In Egyptian mythology, Osiris’ body was in pieces and scattered across the Nile by his jealous brother. Osiris’s wife bandaged it all together. This statue much like the myth, was in pieces. The Harvard-MFA expedition in Giza found the upper part in 1928. The lower part was found in France only in in the year 2000. (It had been taken to France by one of Napoleon’s generals.) Almost like in the story, Osiris was put together right here in Boston.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osiris

Updated

If you are ever in Boston on a grey, rainy New England day, go to the MFA. You will lose track of time, cross continents and can even enjoy a wonderful meal in the cafeteria. We did that on our most recent visit. Here are a few exhibits that stayed with me.

The “Framing Nature: Gardens and Imagination” exhibition includes paintings, tapestries and textiles.

It was interesting to learn how Christian Dior’s fashions were influenced by Impressionism, with patterns in the silk shimmering in the light. Next to it is a brocade short dress by Yves Saint Laurent, his protege. Displayed next to each other, the dresses tell a story of a master and a student, and how fashion shifts over time.

I took this picture because the light and color in the garden captivated me. I read about the artist later. Dennis Miller Bunker was an American painter who painted alongside Sargent and was influenced by Monet. I’m glad to I caught this, because he was often overlooked and died at the young age of 29. His art is immortal, and the magic of a museum allows someone like me to discover it. I was drawn to a pretty picture, and left having learned about a Boston artist.

Switching gears to thousands of miles away, the exhibit, Divine Color: Hindu Prints from Modern Bengal explores the origins of popular prints and their impact on Indian pop culture, religion, and society. The exhibition had collages of popular images, taking me back to a time where these images a part of everyday life in India. I recognized deities, political figures, movies stars from yesteryear, all coming together in a burst of color.

Young and old alike enjoyed the creativity of collage making as we capped off the day with a delicious meal at the Museum Cafe. Standing by was Dale Chihuly’s glass sculpture. A gray New England Sunday turned into a golden memory.

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