Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Announces Landmark $25 Million Gift from the Wyss Foundation for New Modern Art Galleries and Staff Positions

Image Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

BOSTON (October 10, 2024)—The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), announced today a $25 million gift from the Wyss Foundation that enables the MFA to re-envision its presentation of modern art for the first time in a generation. Prioritizing care, research, and display of the Museum’s collection, the gift supports two new staff positions for a curator and a conservator and funds a major renovation project that will create four new galleries—5,665 square feet of space dedicated to the MFA’s holdings of 20th-century art. Three new galleries will be located on the first floor of the Museum’s Evans Wing, where rotating displays—from single artists to thematic groupings—will showcase modern art in a wide range of media and on a global scale. On the second floor, a new gallery for modern sculpture in the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art will form a chronological bridge from the adjacent galleries showcasing the MFA’s renowned Impressionism and Post-Impressionism collections—inviting visitors to explore the trajectory of art from the end of the 19th century to the present.

“This moment marks a new chapter for modern art at the MFA, and we’re incredibly grateful to Hansjörg Wyss and his foundation for their generosity,” said Matthew Teitelbaum, Ann and Graham Gund Director. “Hansjörg’s late wife Rosamund frequented the MFA as a child and throughout her life—it was for her, as for many of us, a place of learning and wonder. This gift honors Hansjörg’s lifelong journey in the world of art, spanning Europe and America, enabling us to create transformative experiences for generations to come. It allows us, as well, to share parts of our collection that are generally underrepresented, encouraging further study and recognition in our global museum.”

The MFA’s modern art collection is shared across several curatorial departments and includes distinctive examples of works in painting, sculpture, drawing, and prints by artists such as Jean (Hans) Arp, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Loïs Maillou Jones, Frida Kahlo, Käthe Kollwitz, Piet Mondrian, and Pablo Picasso. To steward, strengthen, and preserve these holdings, the Wyss gift includes funds for two new staff positions. Claire Howard was recently appointed as the inaugural Hansjörg Wyss Curator of Modern Art, who will work collaboratively with Ian Alteveer, Beal Family Chair, Department of Contemporary Art, and with curatorial colleagues across the Museum on displays in the new galleries. A search for the inaugural Hansjörg Wyss Conservator or Associate Conservator of Modern and Contemporary Art, is underway.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to support the MFA’s efforts to reimagine the display of its 20th-century arts collections and highlight underrepresented artists. Promoting the arts and enabling discovery has been at the core of the Wyss Foundation’s mission, and I’m grateful to the MFA for their support in expanding those efforts to a museum with deep significance for myself and my late wife, Rosamund Zander,” said Hansjörg Wyss. “I know she would be overjoyed that a new generation will be able to experience the same collections that sparked her lifelong love for the arts.”

Designed by Annum Architects, the four renovated galleries will incorporate updates to lighting, windows, and climate control systems to improve energy efficiency. A gallery dedicated to 20th-century sculpture is expected to open in late spring of 2025, followed by three additional galleries in the fall of 2025. Three of these spaces will be named after Hansjörg Wyss and his late wife, Rosamund Zander. The philanthropist, who is an Honorary MFA Advisor, attended Harvard Business School and established the Wyss Foundation in 1998, providing support in areas including conservation, economic opportunity, medical advancements, education, and the arts. Zander was an artist, best-selling author, environmentalist, and lifelong MFA visitor.

“This extraordinary gift has created numerous and invaluable opportunities for the MFA,” said Alteveer. “It has allowed us to augment our staff's expertise with brilliant new colleagues, ignited exciting cross-departmental collaborations, and enabled us to imagine and realize beautiful spaces that will showcase a fascinating and previously underrepresented part of the collection.”

The Rosamund Zander and Hansjörg Wyss Gallery for 20th-Century Sculpture will present a century of key sculptures from the MFA’s collection. These include works made on both sides of the Atlantic, by artists including Jean Arp, Louise Bourgeois, Alberto Giacometti, Simone Leigh, Pablo Picasso, and Kiki Smith. New casework will also offer an opportunity to display smaller-scale gems from the collection alongside select drawings and prints made by modernist sculptors.

The first-floor galleries are expected to open in the fall of 2025. Two of the galleries will present a variety of works from about 1900 to 1960—including paintings, sculpture, drawings, collages, prints, and photographs. These spaces will explore the ways in which artists in the first half of the 20th century embraced the modern world and expanded their field with formal explorations and startling depictions of the human figure. On a rotating basis, one of the galleries will focus on individual artists—such as Josef Albers, Paul Klee, and René Magritte—for a closer look at their important practice.

About the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The MFA brings many worlds together through art. Showcasing masterpieces from ancient to contemporary, our renowned collection of nearly 500,000 works tells a multifaceted story of the human experience—a story that holds unique meaning for everyone. From Boston locals to international travelers, visitors from across the globe come to experience the MFA. Through both art and audience, the Museum brings together diverse perspectives—revealing connections, exploring differences, creating a community where all belong.

Open six days a week, the MFA’s hours are Saturday through Monday, 10 am–5 pm; Wednesday, 10 am–5 pm; and Thursday–Friday, 10 am–10 pm. Plan your visit at mfa.org.