A Boston treasure, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum houses more than 2,500 paintings, sculptures, tapestries, furniture, manuscripts, rare books and decorative arts in the stunning 15th-century Venetian-style palace. With three stories of galleries surrounding a sun- and flower-filled courtyard, the museum provides an unusual backdrop for viewing the wonderful art collections.
History of the Museum
1840: Isabella Stewart Gardner is born in New York City
1891: Isabella Stewart Gardner inherits $1.6 million from her father and begins collecting old master paintings
1896: Isabella Stewart Gardner and her husband Jack decide to create a museum to house their collection
1903: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum opens to the public – admission price was $1
1924: Isabella Stewart Gardner dies, leaving her museum “for the education and the enjoyment of the public forever”
1992: The Gardner Museum launches a visionary artist-in-residence program to support the work of contemporary artists
2009: Construction begins on new building designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, to open in early 2012
2011: Gardner Museum launches innovative platform for exploring the museum online
Today at the Museum
Currently, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is undergoing a massive preservation and expansion project estimated to be completed January 19, 2012. The decision to add a new wing was made to accommodate the ever-growing visitor numbers, nearly 100x more than Gardner saw when she first opened the museum. Norma Jean Calderwood Director Anne Hawley explains, “Incorporating Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano’s signature talent for clarity and beautiful proportions, integrating old and new building fabric, and his masterful handling of light, and his uncompromising attention to detail, the new building will be a celebrated cultural and architectural landmark for Boston, the Fenway Cultural District and the region.”
Photography © George Bouret/The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
