Brothers account for some of history’s most groundbreaking
creative teams. Consider Orville and Wilbur Wright, George and Ira Gershwin,
and, of course, the motley Marx crew, Gummo, Zeppo, Chico, Groucho, and Harpo.
Heck, for all we know, Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas could have spent their whole
childhoods (the before-they-were-famous part) dancing around their New Jersey
kitchen to the grinding disco grooves of Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb (i.e.,
the Bee Gees). But there was another fraternal duo that may have had a little
less razzamatazz, but no less clout: we’re talking about Charles and Henry
Greene, who both studied at the MIT School of Architecture around the turn of
the twentieth century. During that time, the Museum of Fine Arts (465
Huntington Avenue, Boston, 617.267.9300), then located in Copley Square, had a
rapidly growing Japanese art collection. In fact, the MFA was the first in the
country to have a Japanese gallery, and the brothers were enthralled by it. The
Greenes became pioneers of the American Arts and Crafts movement, and their
signature creations, from lamps and light switches to the bungalow-style homes
they were commissioned to build on the West Coast, bear evidence of their early
Eastern influences. The MFA’s newest exhibit, “A New and Native
Beauty: The Art and Craft of Greene & Greene,” pulls together
some of the items from the early days of the museum’s Japanese collection, from
pottery and metalwork to costumes and textiles. It’s all displayed side by side
with the work it inspired the Greene brothers to create, like intricately
inlaid wood furniture, home accessories, and architectural renderings and
photos. It’s like a time-elapsed record of how the ancient East’s aesthetic was
appropriated by contemporary Western culture on a widespread scale. Entry to
the exhibit is included with MFA admission ($17, $15 for students), and this
East-meets-West fest will be on view from July 14 through October 18.
