Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
About
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is one of Boston’s signature art museums, created by collector Isabella Stewart Gardner in a building inspired by Venetian Renaissance architecture. Galleries surround an elegant courtyard filled with extraordinary plantings in every season. The collection, one of the world’s most remarkable, includes works by Titian, Rembrandt, Botticelli, Degas and John Singer Sargent, displayed largely as Gardner herself arranged them.
The museum opened to the public in 1903 in the Fenway, and a modern wing designed by Renzo Piano opened in 2012. Rotating seasonal exhibitions bring new perspectives to the historic collection, and programs include talks, performances, hands-on art activities and virtual events for members. The museum is also known for the unsolved 1990 theft of 13 works; empty frames still hang where some of them once were.
What to Know
- The museum is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
- Recent programming included the exhibition The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt.
- Some programs and hands-on activities are free with museum admission.
- The museum is listed as offering wheelchair-accessible experiences.
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