Boston College Fact Book 1996 - 1997

The Charles S. and Isabella V. McMullen Museum of Art aims to increase understanding of the visual arts, to encourage inquiry, and to enrich learning through the display of a notable permanent collection and special exhibitions of international importance. The Museum occupies two floors of Devlin Hall. Spacious galleries with movable walls provide flexible exhibition spaces that rival venues in larger museums.

Begun in the nineteenth century, the University's permanent collection contains masterpieces that span the history of art from Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Outstanding among them are Gothic and Baroque tapestries, Italian paintings of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, American landscape paintings of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and Japanese prints. The collection is displayed on a rotating basis in the Museum's galleries on the ground floor. In keeping with the teaching mission of a university museum, accompanying text explains the significance of each work in its historical context and addresses questions from the current scholarship. The Museum maintains an active special exhibition program, bringing outstanding works from around the world to Chestnut Hill. The Museum also contains a Micro Gallery, an innovative computer system which visitors to the Museum may use to display information and images of works in the permanent collection, as well as photographs of related works. The Museum organizes public lectures, symposia, workshops, film series, and gallery tours in concert with current exhibitions.

Source: McMullen Museum of Art

Date Posted: February 19, 1997
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