BOSTON (June 26, 2025)—The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) has received a gift of 64 works on paper from the collection of Myron Miller—one of the most significant gifts to the Department of Prints and Drawings in decades. It includes 62 early European works on paper—59 prints and three drawings—one 20th-century drawing (Homage to Mantegna (undated) by Jared French), and one contemporary print (Hermaphroditus on the Clouds, Teaching Cupid to Shoot an Arrow, 2009 by Andrew Raftery). All the objects will be on view in the exhibition The Bold and the Beautiful: 16th-Century Prints and Drawings from the Myron Miller Collection from July 12, 2025 through April 13, 2026.

The majority of the works reflect the period of Italian, Dutch, and Netherlandish printmaking at its most virtuosic and sophisticated, from the 1520s to about 1650. A highlight of the gift and exhibition is Hendrick Goltzius’s tour de force, The Wedding of Cupid and Psyche (1587). One of the largest 16th-century engravings ever made, the work was printed using three separate plates on three sheets of paper. The composition depicts the culmination of the romantic myth of love between Cupid and Psyche and contains nearly 80 figures in a virtuosic display of technique. It was the largest and most famous of Goltzius’s collaborations with Bartholomeus Spranger, court painter to Emperor Rudolf II in Prague. Considered to be one of the most technically brilliant prints of the age, and one of the greatest examples of Goltzius’s technique, it fills a major gap in the MFA’s holdings of the artist’s work. 

In addition to the print by Goltzius, other works that will greatly enhance the MFA’s collection of early European prints, which is one of the largest and more comprehensive in the United States, include The Fire in the Borgo (1525) by Marcantonio Raimondi, A Standing Figure with Upraised Arms Seen from Behind (about 1543) by Juste de Juste, and Statue Court of Palazzo della Valle in Rome (1553) by Dirck Coornhert.

“This exhibition—and the gift it was inspired by—celebrate and honor Myron Miller’s insatiable curiosity and deep passion for prints,” said Edward Saywell, Chair, Department of Prints and Drawings. “The importance and scope of this gift—one of the largest donations of early European prints to the MFA in decades—puts an indelible mark on our collection. It has transformational potential for the work we do with visitors in our galleries and the many students and scholars who use our Morse Study Room for Prints, Drawings, and Photographs—a resource that Myron has oftentimes himself taken advantage of. We are honored that Myron has chosen the MFA for this remarkable gift and we look forward to sharing it with our audiences.”

Myron Miller has been a member of the MFA since 1975 and assembled his incomparable collection of nearly 1,000 works on paper over the last 25 years. He credits much of his interest in prints and drawings from his countless visits to the MFA and the many hours he spent in the Museum’s Morse Study Room for Prints, Drawings, and Photographs, learning from the MFA’s collection. An architect by profession, Miller has always seen his collection as dynamic and ever-changing, always thinking about how the objects speak to each other, how they tell stories—about composition and form and about the history of art. Following their exhibition in The Bold and the Beautiful: 16th-Century Prints and Drawings from the Myron Miller Collection, these acquisitions will be available for students, visitors, and scholars to view in person in The Morse Study Room by appointment.

About the Exhibition

The exhibition, The Bold and the Beautiful: 16th-Century Prints and Drawings from the Myron Miller Collection, focuses on a moment of enormous excitement and artistic invention across Europe. The rediscovery of ancient art in the 16th century fueled innovation and experimentation as artists tried to recapture and compete with the grace, balance, and energy of ancient Roman art. Artists in Italy and Northern Europe alike turned their eyes to the inherent drama of the human body—both clothed and nude—as a source of inspiration and as a subject. Experiments in style and composition spread rapidly, carried by the thousands of prints that now introduced audiences all over Europe to the most avant garde movements in art. Rome, in particular, was a place of inspiration where artists explored ever-more dynamic, inventive, and playful compositions and figural types. The exhibition will reveal how artists pushed the limits of traditional art in every way, referencing convention while moving past its perceived limitations.

About the Collection of Prints and Drawings

The MFA’s holdings of prints and drawings are among the richest in the nation. With works from Europe and the Americas that range from the 15th century to today, the collection tells the story of creative printmaking and draftsmanship in many forms. Highlights include works on paper by iconic figures such as Dürer, Goya, and Cassatt, as well as unexpected areas of depth: a major gathering of rare books, one of the world’s finest collections of postcards, and works by Boston-area artists including Allan Rohan Crite, Blanche Lazzell, Michael Mazur, and John Wilson. In recent years, the Department of Prints and Drawings has committed itself to presenting narratives, creative voices, and perspectives traditionally underrepresented at the MFA, among them women and LGBTQIA+ artists, Black artists and artists of color, self-taught and folk artists, and Indigenous and Latin American artists.

About the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The MFA brings many worlds together through art. Showcasing masterpieces from ancient to modern, our renowned collection of more than half a million 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. Plan your visit at mfa.org.