Summer 2024 Get Away (Part 2)

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This week I’m focusing on the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum in Boston, MA. We visited Monday August 5th - during the Boston leg of our vacation. The museum is closed on Tuesday.

ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER 1888

The Museum was the passion project of Isabella Stewart Gardner (1840-1924).

In 1891 Isabella inherited $1.75 million upon her father’s death and with those funds began collecting art on a larger scale.

Her purchase in 1892 at auction of Johannes Vermeer's The Concert was her first major acquisition. After acquiring Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait, Age 23 in 1896, Isabella and her husband Jack L. Gardner decided their collection needed more space than their home and began thinking about a museum.

Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait, Age 23, 1629

After her husband’s death from a stroke in 1898, Isabella purchased land in the marshy Fenway area of Boston and hired architect Willard T. Sears to build Fenway Court in the style of a 15th century Venetian palace - specifically Palazzo Barbaro where the Gardners stayed while in Venice. It was built between 1898-1901. Isabella was deeply involved in every aspect of the design, leading Sears say that he was merely the structural engineer making her design possible. There is a story of Isabella climbing a ladder to show workers the texture and color of finish she wanted for the walls.

The building comprises 3 floors of galleries for visitors around a central courtyard. Mrs. Gardner used the 4th floor as a private residence. It is not open to the public.

Isabella spent a year installing her collection mixing art, furniture, objects, sculpture and textiles from different cultures and time periods. As you read further you will see images of the map visitors are given - there are no name plates by the art. To me the museum feels very much like a home. Very Maximalist! Opening day was January 1, 1903 with a performance by members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and a menu that included champagne and doughnuts.

Fenway Court as the museum was originally known  during Isabella Stewart Gardner's life.

She was a supporter of artists. Here you see her friend John Singer Sargent, the first artist in residence using the Gothic room to paint Mrs. Warren and her daughter Rachel in 1903.

Isabella continued to grow the collection thorough her lifetime. When she died in 1924, her will created an endowment of $1 million and outlined stipulations for the support of the museum, including the charge that her collection be permanently exhibited "for the education and enjoyment of the public forever" according to her aesthetic vision and intent. Meaning - the collection can not be altered.

In January 2012 the New Wing encompassing the entrance added over 70,000 square feet to the existing Fenway Court. The addition connects to the existing building by way of a breezeway.

The map highlights selected pieces in the collection

Yellow Room - First Floor

Art in the Yellow Room  - Top Right is  The Terrace, Saint-Tropez Henri Matisse 1904

The Roman Tower, Andernach, J.M.W. Turner 1817

The Macknight Room - First Floor

Short Gallery the Second Floor

Before I share the Dutch Room with it’s empty frames - some of you may be familiar with the museum because of the theft of 13 works that happened March 18, 1990. Six of the pieces were from the Dutch Room.

It’s both fascinating and horrific. These pieces have yet to be recovered and the Museum is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to the recovery of the stolen works.

6 Paintings. 5 Works On Paper. 2 Objects.

Dutch Room - Second Floor

This empty frame is what remains of Christ In The Storm On The Sea Of Galilee the only seascape by Rembrandt van Rijn.

This empty frame held the painting Landscape With Obelisk by Govaert Flinck 1638.

There is a small empty frame attached to the side of the cabinet which held Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man by Rembrandt van Rijn underneath his Self-Portrait, Age 23, 1629 the other work here is A Man In A Fur Coat by Albrecht Dürer, 1521.

Titian Room - Third Floor

So lovely with the sun streaming in.

Chapel - Third Floor

Soisson stained glass window in the

Gothic Room - Third Floor

There are Moravian Tiles on the floor in this space in addition to being on the floor in the Dutch Room, Long Gallery, and the Tapestry Room. The museum has spent over a decade cleaning and adding a protectant to theses tiles to conserve them.

I adding this small book to the permanent collection here at the Chalet.

The museum is exquisite with endless treasures and I could have spent countless hours wandering around. I highly recommend a visit. But, after a few hours we made our way outside and hopped on the T and made our way to Boyleston Street and our next adventure.

When we returned from vacation we re-watched This Is A Robbery the 2021 Netflix documentary and I listened to the 2018 podcast Last Seen - the website has a companion story.

And just yesterday I picked up the 2024 book Chasing Beauty: The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner and the 2005 DVD STOLEN from my local library. I am a bit obsessed at the moment friends! ha

Next week I’ll share our visit to Newport, Rhode Island. Til next time be well friends and I’ll see you over on Instagram!

Summer 2024 Get Away (Part 1)

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We enjoyed a family get away last week with my sister and brother-in-law. I’ll be sharing our trip in three posts: the first about Boston, MA, the second solely focused on our visit to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and the last about our time in Newport, Rhode Island.

My sister and I planned this trip in June and we were so pleased when their daughter was able to join us in Boston for one full day of sight-seeing and dinner each evening.

The Langham Boston

We stayed at the Langham, a gorgeous property located in the financial district. The 102 year old building was originally the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. It underwent an extensive two year renovation reopening in 2021 and is a short walk to the Old South Meeting House, Old State House, Faneuil Hall Marketplace (Faneuil Hall) and Quincy Market. Here are a few images from the hotel including the view from our room, a hall telephone, pillow options, Grana where we breakfasted, Diptyque products are provided by the Langham, a view of the indoor pool and we dined at The Fed.

We spent 3 days in Boston and I’ll share a list of what we did.

Day One: We arrived around noon and after stowing our luggage at the hotel we made our way to the Old South Meeting House, Old State House, were caught in a deluge on our way to the Paul Revere House, then it was Lucia Ristorante for a delightful dinner and we capped off the night with a swim.

Day Two: Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum - this tour was fun and with a ton of facts thrown in - they hand you a card at the start and this is who you are. I was Joseph Shedd. Then we enjoyed lunch at the adjoining Abigail’s Tea Room & Terrace. I was close to buying a christmas ornament in the shop but decided to use my card with a ribbon punched through and this way I’ll truly remember the experience. We sent off on foot stopping for a beverage at Tatte and then finishing up the last leg of our journey to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (which I will devote next weeks article) in an Uber. After the Gardner we jumped on the T - I love a subway ride in a city I’m visiting and made our way to the Fairmont Copley Plaza to see where our niece was staying. The Boston Public Library is on Boylston Street across from the Fairmont and we viewed the amazing murals Triumph of Religion, painted by John Singer Sargent over the course of 29 years from 1890 and 1919. We enjoyed some libation at the Oak Long Bar + Kitchen in the Fairmont and then made our way to dinner at the oldest continually operated restaurant in Boston the Union Oyster House. I walked over 6 miles this day!

“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.”
— Unknown

The modern Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum entrance reflecting the original building. I’ll share this visit next week.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum - Modern Entrance showing reflection of original structure beyond.

Day Three: We made our way via Uber to the Museum of Science where we caught our Boston Duck Tour. I set my niece a text when we passed the Fairmont and she grabbed this image of our Red Duck Boat turning the corner onto Boylston Street. We walked to The Bell In The Hand Tavern for lunch and after we toured The New England Holocaust Memorial before heading across the street to Faneuil Hall Marketplace. We enjoyed going upstairs to visit the Great Hall inside Faneuil Hall and seeing the military items on the top floor. We dined at The Fed in the Langham that night.

Boston was wonderful. I love history and cities. Boston is clean and although large relatively easy to navigate. We didn’t over schedule ourselves. We certainly could have visited more sites but it was nice to have time to see where we ended up. Here are my mementos: brochures from things we did and the key card holder and coaster from the Langham hotel. I purchased two postcards at the Old State House.

The Bell in the hand

I can’t recommend the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum enough and it was such a bonus to be able to eat lunch right there - easy peasy! I thought we’d visit the USS Constitution but, after the Tea Party we skipped it. I was most excited and in awe at visiting the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The building and collection are so unusual and my teenage son and I had watched the Netflix documentary This Is A Robbery about the March 18, 1990 still unsolved theft at the museum. The Boston Public Library was magical. I’d recommend the Oak Long Bar + Kitchen for lunch or dinner. Of course a Boston Duck Tour is always fun and depending on where your hotel is or what other plans you have you can select your tour location from the three they offer. The Bell In The Hand Tavern is a great pop in and ask to sit at a table towards the round corner of the building. Our hotel The Langham was luxurious and lived up to it’s 5 star rating including the two restaurants Grana and The Fed.

Til next time when I share the details of our visit to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum be well!