RainyDayMagazine had a chance to see the "Things I Love" exhibit at the MFA earlier this week. Some of us came away energized, some of us exhausted!  This exhibit, which opened at the MFA on August 31, has a lot of different energy coursing through it. 

Out in the courtyard were the whimsical, exuberant, and playfully childlike Botero sculptures.  When we saw them we immediately wanted to take off our shoes and climb on!

Inside the gallery was the sensuality and varied emotions of the nudes by Dali, Modigliani, Arp, and Matisse. 

We laughed at the painting Picasso had done of his gallery owner... discovered accidentally during a cleaning on the back of the Night Club Singer.

Another collection reflected the adventurous and independent spirit of the Old West in sculptures and paintings by Wood, Remington, Russell, and Benton.

Then there were the yachts.  Large, technically sophisticated, and designed for one thing... to go as fast as possible without ripping itself apart. 

For Bill Koch, "The America's Cup...is not just a boat race.  It is first a fundraising race. Secondly, it is a technology competition.  Thirdly, it is a race of managerial skills.  Fourthly, it is a race of teamwork.  And then, finally, it is a sailboat race."

People who race yachts love to push, push, push... their technology, their skills, and most of all...themselves.  In yacht racing, the ultimate prize since 1851 has been the America's Cup.  The phrase "...there is no second (place)," sums up the attitude of all those who answer the challenge. 

The red model is the 1992 challenger, Il Moro di  Venezia.  The white model is the 1992 America's Cup defender and victor, America3. The actual ones are out on the Museum's front lawn...

Click on any of the images of the yachts above to see a panorama of the entire "fleet" of America's Cup models.  Click here to see the real ones out in front of the MFA.

We hope you will have a chance to check out this exhibit, let your imagination wander, and feel the various energies that fuels the passion of this collector.

If you happened by Boston's MFA front entrance on Huntington Ave, you may have caught sight of a couple of yachts sitting on the Museum's front lawn. 

The MFA is hoping the yachts outside will draw attention to the Koch exhibition inside. 

Once inside, visitors will find Botero sculptures waiting to welcome them.

Sculptures, paintings, artifacts from the Old West, and yachts.  These are some of the things William Koch has loved, collected, and shared with us in this spirited exhibition at the MFA.  It'll be at the MFA until November 13, 2005.

Other MFA Reviews:

- Photography (Ansel Adams)

- Yachts (Installation, models)

- Cars (Speed)

- Swords (Lethal Elegance)