"The task is to find and create a humane milieu for works of art, a humane environment for all art which will not repel mankind, but attract him."
Matthew Prichard to Gardner 1908
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is one of the jewels of Boston: a gorgeous 15th century Venetian palace in the heart of Boston filled with the finest works of all ages... one simply could not duplicate this enchanting place if one wished. Packed with art stacked on walls from the masters of all ages one could spend a full day in one room alone and not be done. There are oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, and etchings by Rembrandt, Dewing, Hassam, Dennis Bunker Miller, Sargent, Anders Zorn, Vermeer, Matisse, Titian, Rubens, Turner, Whistler . . . and the courtyard is exquisitely beautiful and always seasonally appointed with stunning flowers. It is a work of art in it's own right and incorporates Greek and Roman statuary into its design.
Personally as an artist I have trouble seeing what I wish to see at times. I would like to tweak the lighting and the rope placement. My feeling now is that the museum is about the passion and love of art, not the study of a particular artist's work— so one must soak up the environment and not make any particular plans as one can be immensely frustrated by works in dim, high corners. However, in the end one walks out so fully appreciative of the overall gift of this Venetian Mansion to Boston. Isabella started out as a wealthy mom, but tragically lost her son Jackie when he was a baby of two years old in 1865. She hence flung herself into trips to Europe, meeting and collecting from the finest artists of her time with the help of Bernard Berenson,who was her right hand in these matters of collecting. She sought to create an unprecedented, glorious museum with the plan to give it back to all of us to enjoy.
Also important to note is that she was eccentric and left unwavering rules about rooms not being altered after her death. There are fun biographies to be read about her parties with the powerful and wealthy of her time and her unconventional behavior.
The Harvard Museum's Fogg Art Museum is closed and being renovated http://harvardmagazine.com/breaking-news/harvard-fogg-art-museum-renovation with an anticipated reopening in 2013, so this is now the best small art museum in Boston to visit in my opinion. It is being renovated as well. . but is still open and I highly recommend a stop in. . or several stops in. . .
Sonia Hale is an award-winning, nationally-collected artist in Boston. She paints commissioned portraits for families and institutions nationwide. Her original landscape and still life oil paintings can be purchased at http://www.soniahale.com. For more information, go to http://www.soniahale.com. You can reach her by email at soniahale1@gmail.com.
