First opened in 1903, the Isabella Stewart Gardner is Boston's premier private art gallery, with an impressive collection spanning 30 centuries.
And museum itself is a work of art—a three story grand old stone structure that centers around an interior courtyard filled with beautiful plants and flowers. Gardner envisioned a museum that would resemble a grand house where a family had lived for generations, surrounded by their most cherished objects.
And that's what you'll find on the inside—Stewart's vast and intimate collection of paintings, sculpture, furniture, textiles, ceramics, prints, drawings, manuscripts, rare books, jewelry, and Japanese screens. Ms. Gardner personally acquired many of the items seen in the museum today. So, what's up with her empty frames? In 1990, the museum was robbed of its most expensive paintings (think Rembrandt). Because of specific instructions in Gardner's will, no painting was to be moved or replaced. Thus, the empty frames still hang.
Oh, and if your name is Isabella, your admission is free!
