Museum of Fine Arts Boston Receives Major Donation From Bank of America

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA)announced a major donation from Bank of America this week. The gift will be split between $5 million in funding and $5 million in art from the Bank of America collection, making the bank the MFA's largest corporate donor. Among the artgifts is Ellsworth Kelly's oil painting "Blue GreenYellow Orange Red," (1968) a 22-foot-long abstract work which will hang in the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art set to in September 2011. The money gift will support museum exhibitions and programs as well as operating expenses, and capital improvements. The bank will also be supporting special events surrounding the November opening of the museum's new wing for the Art of the Americas and Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Family Courtyard. Although many museums have struggled to raise money recently, between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010, the MFA received $57 million in funds and art. Bank of America has given a total of more than $15 million to the MFA. The bank's previous gift of $5 million to the Museum's Building the New MFA campaign (2001–2008) provided funding for the MFA's building project. The museum has named the plaza in front of its Huntington Avenue entrance the "Bank of America Plaza on the Avenue of the Arts."