Perhaps most well-known for the infamous art heist of 1990, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a reminder of a bygone era. And is certainly one of Boston’s most noteworthy hidden gems. Located inside a palace with secret garden that blooms year round – and an incredible selection of art – it’s truly something to behold. In a city that is filled with history, a visit to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum truly feels like taking a step back in time. 

One of my favorite spots in the city to visit, I hope it becomes one of yours too. Read on to learn more about the history of the museum, the Courtyard garden, the infamous art heist and current exhibitions happening now.

View of the Courtyard from Palace galleries.

Fine art on display in the Titian Room at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Interior Courtyard at the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum.

Views of the Gardner Museum Courtyard from the Spanish Cloister.

“The Nativity,” Sandro Botticelli (c. 1482-1485) hangs in the Long Gallery.

Soisson Window (c. 1205) on display in the Gardner Museum chapel.

Tile Mosaic in the Spanish Cloister.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: History

Isabella Stewart Gardner was an avid art collector, philanthropist, and world traveler. Born and raised in a wealthy family in New York City, she moved to Boston after her marriage. She began seriously collecting art after the death of her father left her with a large inheritance. Working with her art advisor, Bernard Berenson, she began to collect renowned works by artists including Vermeer and Rembrandt. The ownership of these incredible paintings led Isabella and her husband to make the decision to build a museum to house and display their growing collection. After her husband passed away, Isabella continued their plans for the museum as intended.

Located in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston, the original section of the museum was completed in 1901. Isabella personally installed all of the works in her collection on the first three floors of the museum by herself. She took up residence on the fourth floor of the building, where she lived the rest of her life. When the museum officially opened to the public in 1903, she invited guests to view one of the finest private art collections in the United States.

When Isabella died in 1924, she left the museum “for the education and enjoyment of the public forever.” According to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum website, Isabella “provided an endowment to operate the museum, stipulating in her will that nothing in the galleries should be changed, and no items be acquired or sold from the collection.” And so what you see today are the galleries exactly how Isabella had installed them back in the early 1900’s.

Winter garden at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Hanging nasturtiums in the Courtyard garden.

Winter orchids blooming in the garden of the Gardner Museum.

Hanging Nasturtiums in April at the Gardner Museum.

Views of the Gardner’s Courtyard.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Interior Courtyard

The overall design of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum itself was heavily influenced by the Palazzo Barbaro in Venice, and was meant to resemble a 15th century palace. And nearly all of the original galleries in the Palace open up onto the museum’s interior Courtyard, which is kept in bloom year round. 

While flowering plants can always be found in the Courtyard, a few seasons are especially spectacular. Each April, the museum installs 20 hanging nasturtiums from the 3rd floor windows, bringing a burst of bright orange to the Courtyard walls. In the summer, the garden is filled with flowering Hydrangea and hues of blue. In the fall, the garden features chrysanthemums of all different varieties and colors. The holiday garden in December features hues of red, green and silver with amaryllis, poinsettias, flowering jade and dusty miller. The majority of the plants are cultivated at the museums’ greenhouse in Hingham, MA. And are then painstakingly installed in the courtyard on a regular basis.

In addition to plants, the Courtyard contains many examples of medieval architecture and classical and Renaissance sculpture. You’ll notice that only women are depicted in the works that inhabit the Courtyard, with no men to be found. (It seems Isabella was a bit of a feminist before her time).

While museum visitors are not permitted into the garden itself, there are ledges around the courtyard on which to sit and admire the beauty of Boston’s secret garden. 

Empty frames hang in the Dutch Room.

Empty frame hangs in the Blue Room.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: The Heist

The museum operated as usual for many years after Isabella’s death, until the fateful morning of March 18, 1990, when the largest art theft in US history took place in Boston at the Gardner Museum.

In the early morning hours, two men disguised as police officers broke into the museum. They made off with 13 works, valued at more than $500 million. The stolen masterpieces included works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas and Manet, among others. The thieves spend exactly 81 minutes in the museum that night, cutting paintings from their frames and removing the works from the building. The crime has never been solved, and the art has never been recovered. To this day, the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to the return of the stolen masterpieces in good condition.

Empty frames remain hanging in the galleries where the works were stolen, including two Rembrandts that were cut from their frames in the Dutch Room. The empty frames pay homage to the missing art. And remain as Isabella first hung them, per the instructions in her will. But are also a sign of hope that someday the paintings will be returned. I stop by the Dutch room whenever I visit the museum to pay my respects to the stolen works.

Note: If you want to learn more about the heist, WBUR and The Boston Globe collaborated on a podcast called “Last Seen”, which digs into what happened and reasons why not a single work has been recovered. It’s well worth a listen!

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: The New Wing

In 2012, a new contemporary wing was added to the museum, designed by Renzo Piano. With floor to ceiling glass windows, the new wing overlooks the outdoor gardens. It’s connected to the original Palace through a glass-enclosed walkway. It contains a “living room” area where guests can read, sit and relax or charge their phones. As well as a restaurant, a music hall and gallery space for temporary exhibitions. Right now, the museum’s “Botticelli: Heroines + Heroes” exhibition is on view in the new wing through May 19, 2019.

Tips for Visiting Like a Local:

• The Isabella Stewart Gardner museum is located in the Fenway/Kenmore area of Boston, near the Back Bay Fens. It’s less than a 5 minute walk from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. And it’s easy to view both museums in one day.
  • If you bring your MFA ticket stub to the Gardner museum within two days of purchase, you can save $2 on adult/senior general admission at the Gardner.
  • MFA members can also show their membership card at the Gardner for a $2 discount on admission.
• There is limited parking by the museum, but plentiful parking at the MFA just a few blocks away. A great option if you’re planning to visit both museums in one trip.
• Isabella Gardner was a huge Boston Red Sox fan. In honor of this, visitors wearing Red Sox gear receive a $2 discount on adult/senior tickets.
• If your name is Isabella, you receive a free lifetime membership to the Gardner museum.
• Guests also receive free admission to the museum on their birthday (ID required).
• While the museum’s main greenhouse is located in Hingham, there is also a small greenhouse to the side of the reception desk. Guests are invited to walk through to see the flowers being cultivated for the garden.
• The Gardner museum is closed to the public on Tuesdays. It is open all other days of the week from 11am-5pm. The museum also stays open until 9pm on Thursdays.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
25 Evans Way
Boston, MA 02115
www.gardnermuseum.org