Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston facts for kids
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The ICA's current building in South Boston
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| Former name | Boston Museum of Modern Art |
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| Established | 1936 |
| Location | 25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston, MA 02210 |
| Type | Art museum |
| Accreditation | American Alliance of Museums |
| Architect | Diller Scofidio + Renfro |
| Public transit access |
Silver Line (SL1 or SL2)
Courthouse Station  |
The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It shows modern and new art. The museum started in 1936 as the Boston Museum of Modern Art.
Over the years, the ICA changed its name several times. It also moved its galleries and offices more than 13 times. Its current home was built in 2006. This building is in the South Boston Seaport District. It was designed by famous architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
Contents
History of the ICA
The Institute of Contemporary Art began in 1936. It was first called the Boston Museum of Modern Art. Its first offices were on State Street. Art shows were held at Harvard University museums. The museum wanted to be a new kind of art space. Its first president was Nathaniel Saltonstall, a 26-year-old architect.
The first art show featured Paul Gauguin. It was the first time his art was shown in Boston. The museum also held its first fundraiser. It was called the Modern Art Ball. Many famous artists attended, including Salvador Dalí and his wife, Gala. They even came dressed as sharks!
Early Moves and Exhibitions
In 1937, the museum moved to Newbury Street. It started charging 25 cents to enter. That year, it showed art from the dada and surrealist movements. A famous artwork, Object (Le Déjeuner en fourrure) by Méret Oppenheim, was part of this show.
In 1938, the museum helped bring the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo to the U.S. for the first time. The show had costumes by Henri Matisse. This fit with the museum's exhibit about Matisse and Pablo Picasso. The museum moved again, this time to the Boston Art Club.
In 1939, the museum changed its name to the "Institute of Modern Art." It wanted to be different from the Museum of Modern Art. It then held a show of German art that Hitler had called "degenerate." Artists like Max Beckmann and Paul Klee were in this exhibit.
In 1940, the museum hosted a show of Pablo Picasso's works. It included his famous painting Guernica. The museum moved again to Beacon Street. It also put together the first U.S. museum show for Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1943, it moved to Newbury Street. Here, it held the first show of African American artists in New England. This included works by Romare Bearden.
Becoming the ICA
In 1948, the museum changed its name again. It became the "Institute of Contemporary Art" (ICA). This new name showed its focus on art "that which exists now." That same year, the ICA showed works by Le Corbusier. It was his first show in a U.S. museum.
For many years, the ICA showed various art. In 1950, it had a show of Edvard Munch's art, including The Scream. In 1952, it showed works by Wassily Kandinsky never seen in the U.S. In 1956, the museum moved to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Here, in 1958, it held the first U.S. museum show for Roberto Matta.
In 1959, the ICA put art inside a Stop & Shop store. This show was called "Young Talent in New England." Some people think this show was an early example of pop art.
New Locations and Important Shows
In 1960, the ICA moved to the Metropolitan Boston Arts Center. This building was designed by the museum's founder, Nathaniel Saltonstall. It was a modern glass building. The ICA stayed there until 1963, then moved to Newbury Street.
At this new spot, the ICA showed art from the Venice Biennale. It also had an exhibit on video and electronic art in 1965. Marcel Duchamp even attended this show!
In 1966, the museum held an Andy Warhol exhibition. It included his famous Campbell's Soup Cans and portraits. Warhol and his band, The Velvet Underground, also performed at the ICA.
In 1968, the ICA moved back to the Metropolitan Boston Arts Center for two years. Then, in 1970, it moved to the Parkman House. During these years, the ICA put large sculptures in public places around Boston. One famous sculpture was Robert Indiana's LOVE on City Hall Plaza.
In 1972, the ICA had its first solo show for Douglas Huebler. It briefly moved to Newbury Street. In 1973, the ICA found a more lasting home. It moved into an old police station on Boylston Street. The museum stayed in this building for 33 years.
Highlights at Boylston Street
During its time on Boylston Street, the ICA hosted many important shows. In 1976, Claes Oldenburg had a show there. In 1977, David Hockney's art was shown in America for the first time. In 1980, the museum had the first U.S. museum show of pure Dada art. It also held a roller disco fundraiser!
The 1980s brought more new art. In 1982, the ICA showed works by Francesco Clemente and Anselm Kiefer. In 1984, the ICA worked with WGBH, a TV station. They created a fund to help video artists show their work on TV.
Later in the 80s, the ICA showed art by Allan Sekula in 1986. It also had the New England premiere of the film True Stories by David Byrne. In 1989, the ICA showed the first U.S. survey for Chris Burden. It also had a major show about the Situationist International movement.
In 1990, the ICA was the last stop for a traveling art show by Robert Mapplethorpe. It also showed the first U.S. museum exhibit for Sophie Calle. In 1997, Cildo Meireles had his first major U.S. museum show at the ICA.
A New Era and New Building
In the late 1990s, big changes happened at the ICA. A new director, Jill Medvedow, was hired. She started a project called "Vita Brevis." This project asked artists to create large artworks for public spaces in Boston. One of the first works was a film shown on the Bunker Hill Monument. These projects made more people know about the museum.
In 1999, the ICA won a contest. It could build a new cultural building on Boston's Fan Pier. While the new building was being planned and built, the ICA stayed on Boylston Street. During these years, it showed the first solo museum exhibit for Cornelia Parker in 2000. It also had the first U.S. solo show for Olafur Eliasson in 2001.
In 2006, the ICA moved to its new 65,000-square-foot building on Fan Pier. This building has both art galleries and a performance space. That same year, the museum started to build its own permanent art collection.
Since moving to its new building, the ICA has hosted world premieres of dance shows. These include performances by the Mark Morris Dance Group in 2007. It also had major art shows for Tara Donovan in 2008 and Mark Bradford in 2010.
Buildings of the ICA
Main Building
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The ICA used to be on Boylston Street. It moved to a new building in the Seaport District of South Boston in 2006. This new building also marked the start of the museum's own art collection.
The new building was designed by the architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro. It was one of their first buildings. It was also the first new art museum built in Boston in over 100 years.
The building is near the Courthouse and World Trade Center train stations.
Many people like the building's design. It looks like the large gantry cranes near the water. Its open design and grand staircase are praised. It won the 2007 Harleston Parker Medal for being "the most beautiful piece of architecture" in Boston. However, some critics have called it a "botched box." They say it has poor flow inside and a dull side facing the land.
ICA Watershed
In 2018, the ICA opened a new space called the "ICA Watershed." It turned an old 15,000-square-foot building into an art space. This building is in the Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina in East Boston. Alex Anmahian and Nick Winton designed the renovation.
It is free to enter the Watershed. The ICA offers a ferry ride from its main building to the Watershed. It is open each year from spring to fall.
Each year, one artist's work fills the entire space. In 2018, the exhibit was by Diana Thater. In 2019, it was by John Akomfrah. The 2020 exhibit by Firelei Báez was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When the museum was closed, the building was used to help deliver food to people in East Boston.
Exhibitions and Art Shows
The ICA has many types of art shows. The Momentum series focuses on new artists. The Sandra and Gerald Fineberg Art Wall is a yearly art piece made for the museum lobby. The James and Audrey Foster Prize is a show and award for artists from the Boston area. The museum also shows pieces from its own permanent collection.
The West Gallery is the largest exhibition space. It has shown art by single artists and groups of artists. Some important past shows include:
- Super Vision (2006)
- Philip-Lorca diCorcia (2007)
- Street Level (2008)
- Anish Kapoor (2008)
- Tara Donovan (2008)
- Shepard Fairey (2009)
- Mark Bradford (2011)
- Liz Deschenes (2016)
- Mark Dion: Misadventures of a 21st-Century Naturalist (2017)
- William Forsythe: Choreographic Objects (2018-2019)
- Yayoi Kusama: LOVE IS CALLING (2019-2020)
- Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech” (2021)
- Simone Leigh (2023)
Leadership
Directors
- 1998–2024: Jill Medvedow
Chief Curators
- 2010–2014: Helen Molesworth
- 2015–2023: Eva Respini
- 2023–present: Ruth Erickson
See also
In Spanish: Instituto de Arte Contemporáneo (Boston) para niños
