One of the world’s most coveted commodities, sugar is an agent of both delight and oppression. Examine sugar within the wider historical context of trade, commerce, and slavery that organized the Atlantic world in the 17th and 18th centuries. Uncover the relationship between art, sugar, and slavery, and how sugar production and trade relates to the MFA’s Dutch and American still lifes, landscapes, and genre paintings and decorative arts.

Speakers include:
Vincent Brown, professor of History and of African and African American Studies, Harvard University
Dennis Carr, Carolyn and Peter Lynch Curator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture
Michiel van Groesen, professor of Maritime History, University of Leiden
Antien Knaap, curatorial research fellow, Art of Europe

Performance by Jean Appolon Expressions
Organized with the MFA’s Center for Netherlandish Art.

For tickets and more information, see the MFA website.