Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Modeled after a Venetian palazzo, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston houses one of the world's most remarkable collections.
(4656)

Look closely at the opening of this tent—can you spot the faint pencil lines beneath the paint?John Singer Sargent often...
05/28/2026

Look closely at the opening of this tent—can you spot the faint pencil lines beneath the paint?

John Singer Sargent often mapped out his compositions in pencil before bringing them to life with watercolor. While he used sketches to guide his layout, he rarely marked light or shadow, leaving that entirely to the mastery of his brush. This spontaneous blending of color gives his work their fresh, luminous beauty.

Where else in this image do you see traces of Sargent's underlying sketch?

🖼️: John Singer Sargent - A Tent in the Rockies, 1916

A relic of the prehistoric forest catches the light of Isabella’s Courtyard garden. 🌿The quartet of tree ferns anchoring...
05/27/2026

A relic of the prehistoric forest catches the light of Isabella’s Courtyard garden. 🌿

The quartet of tree ferns anchoring the corners of the mosaic are among the few plants resilient enough to withstand the filtered light of the atrium year round.

Discover their long and unexpected history: go.gardnermuseum.org/4tY1try

Celebrate your graduate with the gift of endless inspiration.Gift them an Under 30 membership to the Gardner Museum for ...
05/27/2026

Celebrate your graduate with the gift of endless inspiration.

Gift them an Under 30 membership to the Gardner Museum for just $50 a year. They’ll get free, year-round access to the iconic Courtyard, incredible art collection, and exclusive evening programming.

Give the gift of creative escape 🔗go.gardnermuseum.org/4uzbY5G

The first American pilot killed in WWI is memorialized in the Gardner Museum. Poet John Jay Chapman gifted this portrait...
05/25/2026

The first American pilot killed in WWI is memorialized in the Gardner Museum.

Poet John Jay Chapman gifted this portrait of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary to Isabella in memory of his son Victor, who held that tragic distinction. And when Isabella first installed the painting, she placed a wreath with Victor’s name around it.

Look for this special tribute in the Early Italian Room on your next visit.

🖼️: Ambrogio Lorenzetti (Italian, 1285 - about 1348). Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, 1319-1347.

"Beautiful! Beautiful! Best thing I ever did!” That’s how Swedish artist Anders Zorn described this painting, to Isabell...
05/21/2026

"Beautiful! Beautiful! Best thing I ever did!”

That’s how Swedish artist Anders Zorn described this painting, to Isabella Stewart Gardner in 1896.

Painted outdoors on a small island in the Stockholm archipelago, this work is part of a larger series exploring the motif of a mother bringing her child into the water.

Zorn’s sensually frank nudes were less popular in the United States, and at some point after arriving in Boston, the mother’s p***c area was retouched to make the scene more modest. That retouching has since been removed.

You can find this tender scene by the window in the Veronese room.

🖼️ Image: Anders Zorn, Morning Toilet (detail), 1888. Oil on canvas.

🤔 : Can you guess what plant this pressed leaf comes from? Here's a hint: A symbol of hope, strength, resilience, and e...
05/20/2026

🤔 : Can you guess what plant this pressed leaf comes from?

Here's a hint: A symbol of hope, strength, resilience, and endurance, this is one of the oldest living tree species in the world.

🌱If you know what it is, comment below!

"A museum for the education and enjoyment of the public forever" — Isabella Stewart Gardner Happy 🖼️💕
05/18/2026

"A museum for the education and enjoyment of the public forever" — Isabella Stewart Gardner

Happy 🖼️💕

Nestled within the Courtyard, Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) boasts towering spires of bell-shaped blooms in hues from cr...
05/16/2026

Nestled within the Courtyard, Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) boasts towering spires of bell-shaped blooms in hues from creamy white to deep pink.

Beyond their enchanting beauty lies a secret: they are the source of one of the oldest medications used in cardiology. But beware—despite its medicinal history, this striking plant is highly toxic to humans and animals alike.

Come see our Spring Blooms on view now in the Courtyard! 🌸

🩷 While the name 'Bleeding Heart' may bring to mind heartbreak, Lamprocapnos spectabilis itself offers a much more hopef...
05/14/2026

🩷 While the name 'Bleeding Heart' may bring to mind heartbreak, Lamprocapnos spectabilis itself offers a much more hopeful metaphor.

These whimsical flowers are hardy perennials. They endure long periods of dormancy each year, only to return, vibrant and renewed, every spring.

So to those currently feeling the sting of lost love: take heart. The winter will pass, heartbreak heals, and you will bloom again.

Framed by windows that look out onto the Monk’s Garden, the Chinese Loggia is one of the Museum’s most peaceful spots—a ...
05/12/2026

Framed by windows that look out onto the Monk’s Garden, the Chinese Loggia is one of the Museum’s most peaceful spots—a quiet, light-filled space connecting the courtyard to the world outside.

Here, Chinese Buddhist sculptures reflect Isabella Stewart Gardner’s deep curiosity and respect for global spiritual traditions.

📍Find it just off the Courtyard!

at Giovanni Bellini's "The Virgin with the Sleeping Child on a Parapet."📍 On view in the Raphael Room🖼️: Giovanni Bell...
05/12/2026

at Giovanni Bellini's "The Virgin with the Sleeping Child on a Parapet."

📍 On view in the Raphael Room

🖼️: Giovanni Bellini, The Virgin with the Sleeping Child on a Parapet (detail), 1470-1475. Tempera on poplar panel.

Address

25 Evans Way
Boston, MA
02115

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 5pm
Wednesday 11am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 9pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

Telephone

(617) 566-1401

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum:

Shortcuts

Share

Category