The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is perhaps better known for the art that doesn't hang there than the art that does. This past weekend, I made the trek into Boston for a visit. 

Everyone has heard of the 1990 theft of 13 works from the Gardner, including Vermeers The Concert and Rembrandt's Storm on the Sea of Galilee. It's one of the largest art thefts (by dollar value) in history, and though suspects included Boston mobsters and the Provisional IRA, the truth of it is still a mystery, and all 13 works remain unrecovered.

While the story of the theft is fascinating, it's not what draws me to the Gardner. This museum is unlike any other I've visited. It's a far cry from the bright, sometimes sterile minimalism with which many art museums are laid out. Galleries aren't arranged by period or artists, they're laid out as the rooms in a lavishly decorated home might be, with every surface having something decorating it. Even the walls, floors, and ceilings have artistic interest, with complex wallpapers, custom tiles, and stunning ceiling murals in nearly every room.

You're not just experiencing individual peices at the Gardner, you're experiencing the entire space as a whole.

The galleries are laid out around a central 4-story glass-roofed Courtyard, designed to resemble Rennessaince-era Venetian palaces. The courtyard itself is an ever-blooming garden centered around a mosaic tile floor, and populated by a variety of sculptures. It's a breathtaking space that no photo can do justice.

The courtyard of the isabella stewart gardnew museum, framed by an ope french door no the second floor.
The Courtyard as seen from a balcony window on the third floor.
A marble statue of Persephone, surrounded by blooming flowers and framed by the marble balusters of the balcont above.
Marble status of Persephone – as seen from an overlook on the second floor – in the Courtyard of the Museum. She was sculpted in the first century BCE in Greece.

The galleries that surround the courtyard are densly packed with paintings, sculpture, furniture, textiles, gold, silver, glassware, books – the list goes on. Many rooms have these styled vignettes around a piece of furniture, with paintings and various bits and bobs artfully arranged on and around them.

Located in the Macknight Room, this display centers around an 18th century Venetian desk, cluttered wth peices from all over the world, from North America, to Europe, to East Asia.
The Veronese room features stamped and painted leather panels on the wall and this display centered on an 18th century German writing desk.
The Tapestry Room is one of the more dimly-lit spaces in the Gardner and was once used as a concert hall. I were lucky enough to have it to myself on my most recent visit.

About Isabella

Isabella Stewart Gardner was a New York born art collector and philanthropist who moved to Boston when she married John Lowell Gardner in 1860. After her husbands death in 1893 Isabella set out to realize their dream of building a museum to house their large art collection.

The museum was designed by Willard T. Sears – in close collaboration with Isabella herself – and is modelled after Renaissance-era Venetian palaces. The fourth floor of the museum served as Isabella's home until her death in 1924, and is now used as office space for museum staff.

Visit the Museum

The Gardner is located at 25 Evans Way in Boston, just off Huntingston Ave. It's a short (4min) walk from the Longwood Medical stop on the Green line.

As of this writing, tickets are $22 for adults and free for children and anyone named Isabella.

In our visit last weekend, we spent 2.5hrs there and didn't see everything on offer, so give yourself plenty of time to explore! In addition to Isabella's original building and collection, there is a modern wing (built in 2012) that houses a cafe, gift shop, and galleries for rotating exhibits.

Visit the Isabella Stewart Gardnew Museum