The Lioness of Boston

During her lifetime, Isabella Stewart Gardner amassed a significant art collection, including works by Titian, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Manet, Degas, Whistler, and Sargent. She also collected furniture, rare books, textiles, and decorative objects. By 1896, Isabella and her husband, Jack Gardner, contemplated how they could find additional space for their growing collection. They considered expanding their home (152 Beacon Street) but eventually began to discuss an entirely separate property. In 1897, the couple began planning for their eventual building project by traveling to Italy and drawing inspiration from Venetian palazzos; however, Jack died suddenly in 1898. In 1899, Isabella purchased a plot of land in Boston’s Back Bay Fens region, and work began under the supervision of architect Willard Sears.

Construction on the mansion (initially known as Fenway Court) took place between 1899 and 1901, with Isabella playing an active role in supervising the building and visiting the site every day. Isabella moved into apartments located on the building’s fourth floor in 1901 and began installing her art collection in 1902. For the remainder of her life, she actively arranged and rearranged the art at Fenway Court. The design of the building draws on a range of influences from different regions and historical periods; it is notable for the focus on a central interior courtyard garden. The opening of the building was formally celebrated on January 1, 1903, with a lavish party; the building was opened to the public a month later.

Notably, the art was displayed under conditions that mimicked a private collection in a domestic space (such as low lighting and a lack of identification labels). The art is grouped and arranged into thematic rooms and spaces, including the Blue Room, the Gothic Room, and the Dutch Room. The collection includes a number of portraits of Isabella, among them two portraits by American painter John Singer Sargent. Anyone with the first name “Isabella” is granted free lifetime admission to the museum.

When Isabella died in 1924, she stipulated that nothing should be changed within the museum and that no artworks should be acquired or sold. The museum has remained open ever since and has become a noted Boston attraction. On March 18, 1990, 13 works were stolen from the museum and, to date, have not been recovered. The stolen works include paintings by Rembrandt, Manet, Degas, and Vermeer; their value is so great that the theft from the museum is widely considered to be the single largest property theft incident in history. As of 2024, rewards are still offered for any information leading to the recovery of the artworks. Given Isabella’s instructions for nothing to be changed in the museum, empty frames remain in place, marking the locations of the stolen paintings. The mystery of the theft has inspired significant public interest, including a well-received Netflix documentary series This is a Robbery, which premiered in 2021.