Boston - MFA: Edouard Manet’s Execution of the Emperor Maximilian
Edouard Manet’s Execution of the Emperor Maximilian (1867) portrays the dramatic moment of Maximilian’s execution alongside generals Miguel Miramón and Tomás Mejía, ordered by Benito Juárez. Breaking convention, Manet depicted this contemporary political event on a monumental scale, usually reserved for mythological or historical scenes. The composition, inspired by Francisco Goya’s “Third of May 1808,” emphasizes the immediacy of the tragic event through dynamic and unresolved brushwork. This painting is the earliest version of several Manet created, reflecting his ideological opposition to Napoleon III’s intervention in Mexico. The painting was acquired by Frank Gair Macomber in 1909, likely upon Mary Cassatt’s recommendation, and gifted to the MFA in 1930.
The Museum of Fine Arts was founded in 1870 and relocated to its current neoclassical building designed by architect Guy Lowell at 465 Huntington Avenue in 1909. The museum's vast collection spans over 500,000 works of art, with highlights including ancient Egyptian artifacts, 18th- and 19th-century American art, French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces, and a renowned collection of Asian art. Originally located in a Gothic Revival building in Copley Square, much of the museum’s early collection came from the Boston Athenaeum Art Gallery. Over the years, the museum expanded significantly, adding the Decorative Arts Wing in 1968, the Norman Jean Calderwood Garden Court and Terrace in 1997, and a modern Americas Wing in the mid-2000s designed by Foster and Partners.
Boston - MFA: Edouard Manet’s Execution of the Emperor Maximilian
Edouard Manet’s Execution of the Emperor Maximilian (1867) portrays the dramatic moment of Maximilian’s execution alongside generals Miguel Miramón and Tomás Mejía, ordered by Benito Juárez. Breaking convention, Manet depicted this contemporary political event on a monumental scale, usually reserved for mythological or historical scenes. The composition, inspired by Francisco Goya’s “Third of May 1808,” emphasizes the immediacy of the tragic event through dynamic and unresolved brushwork. This painting is the earliest version of several Manet created, reflecting his ideological opposition to Napoleon III’s intervention in Mexico. The painting was acquired by Frank Gair Macomber in 1909, likely upon Mary Cassatt’s recommendation, and gifted to the MFA in 1930.
The Museum of Fine Arts was founded in 1870 and relocated to its current neoclassical building designed by architect Guy Lowell at 465 Huntington Avenue in 1909. The museum's vast collection spans over 500,000 works of art, with highlights including ancient Egyptian artifacts, 18th- and 19th-century American art, French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces, and a renowned collection of Asian art. Originally located in a Gothic Revival building in Copley Square, much of the museum’s early collection came from the Boston Athenaeum Art Gallery. Over the years, the museum expanded significantly, adding the Decorative Arts Wing in 1968, the Norman Jean Calderwood Garden Court and Terrace in 1997, and a modern Americas Wing in the mid-2000s designed by Foster and Partners.