The Collector and the Collected Gardner Museum

7/28/2019 The Collector and the Collected Gardner Museum

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Nicole Smith

Professor Hall

AH520 Museum Studies

December 8, 2009

The Collector and the Collected:

The Issues and Advantages of Personal Identity in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

For over a hundred years, the Fenway neighborhood of Boston Massachusetts has

been the home of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and its collection of over 2,500

works of fine and decorative arts. Since its opening in 1903, the museum has held a

reputation of being remarkable in the character of both its collection its collector. Isabella

Gardners vision for the construction, arrangement and function of her museum is one

that has survived its creator with vigor. To this day, the spirit and charm of this intimate

display space and the spectacle and assortment of the art objects it contains has remained

almost identical to the original plans set forth by Mrs. Gardner. The Gardner Museum

functions as both a fixed monument, that is, a testament to the wishes of its founder, and

simultaneously strives to actively fulfill its calling to be an institute of public benefit.

Indeed, it is this strong connection to the charming, yet eccentric, personality of its

benefactor that the museum has for so long been of interest. Yet this tie can be seen as

both advantages as well as constraining. While working to maintain the image of its

foundations, the Gardner is still challenged to keep up with the needs and standards of the


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modern museum institution.1 Some of the current issues of the Gardner Museum are tied

to this very question of identity, allegiance and responsibility.

An ambiguity of identity can lead to some very difficult situations for institutions

that are designed for and called to the responsibilities of their representations. Museums

are especially vulnerable to these conflicts of interest and duties, whether they are the

consequences of a divergence between donors and curators, the tension between the call

for educational and entertainment needs, or even the continuous contests for monetary

funds and authority. The Gardner Museum is in a particularly complex struggle.

The museum has, for over a century now, successfully respected the decree of

Mrs. Gardners will calling for the preservation of her original vision, keeping the

displays, layout and building all relatively unchanged since her death. Fortunately, this

original character Isabella personally fostered in the creation of her museum serves as

one of its strongest attractions for curious museum patrons. Many visitors are drawn in by

the history, both fact and legend, of Mrs. Gardner and the museum, which itself acts as a

material remain of her artistic spirit. While this intimate connection is one of the most

intriguing aspects of the Gardner museum, it is not to say that this is the museums

solitary advantageous selling point, for what would an art museum be without the art

objects it contains?

The outstanding permanent collection of the Gardner includes world-renowned

master paintings by Rembrandt, Titian, Raphael and Manet, Michelangelo and Sargent

and a plethora of sculptures, manuscripts, furniture and decorative art objects from

around the world. Even visitors who are unaware of the history behind the collector find

1 Beam, Alex. Testing Mrs. Gardner's Will.Boston Globe. 27 Jan. 2009. Web. 20 Nov.2009.


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themselves, nonetheless, impressed (perhaps even overwhelmed) by the rich treasures

that line the walls, shelves, ceilings and architecture of the building. These two points of

interest, the collection and the collector, function in relationship that is both cooperative

and competitive. It is this complicated relationship that is at the crux of the museums

successes as well as its challenges.

Throughout her life, Isabella Stewart Gardner acted as a self-appointed guardian

of culture who exercised her lifes calling in her roles as a philanthropist and as a

collector and patron of the fine arts. Born in 1840 to David and Adelia Stewart, Isabella

was educated in private institutions in New York and Paris. Even at a young age, Isabella

already demonstrated a strong appreciation for the arts and a philanthropic nature,

announcing at the age of sixteen that she would someday like to have a home like the

Museo Poldi-Pezzoli in Milan, filled with beautiful pictures and objects of art, for

people to come and enjoy.2 On April 10, 1860 Isabella Stewart was married in New

York to Jack Gardner, the older brother of one of her close schoolmates. The couple

moved to Boston as residents of the Back Bay community. After the death of her only

son in 1865, Isabella was overcome by a period of depression of illness that lasted over

two years. Her doctor suggested that she and her husband take some leisure time to travel

in the hopes that the rest and recreation would revive Mrs. Gardners heath and spirit. It

was during their second trip abroad in 1874 that the Gardners pursuit of collecting began

to transform into something more than souvenir consumerism, becoming nothing less

than a passion. After receiving a generous inheritance from her father in 1891 Mrs.

2 Higonnet, Anne. Private Museums, Public Leadership: Isabella Stewart Gardner andthe Art of Cultural Authority. Cultural Leadership in America: Art Matronage andPatronage. Fenway Court Vol. XXVII, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: 1997.


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Gardner began her more serious collecting under the guidance of her artistic advisor and

good friend Bernard Berenson. By the 1880s the couple traveled frequently across

Europe, Asia and America as Mrs. Gardner took in the sights and pleasures of the world

expanding her knowledge fine art and cultures. As her collection continued to grow, the

Gardners soon realized that their home at 152 Beacon Street would no longer serve as an

efficient housing for the large quantity of artworks. It was not until after her husbands

death in 1898, however, that Isabella set the plans and construction of her very own

Fenway Court into motion.3 The personality of Fenway Court was in fact that of its

creator. Her curious reputation for being unconventional in every sense both shocked and

captivated her peers, as Mrs. Gardner was, indeed, an entertainer at heart. Her

eccentricities are reflected in the range and diversity of her collection and in the highly

personal aesthetics of her display designs.4 For Isabella, Fenway Court was in no way

designed as a museum, as she disliked the cold, mausoleum-like spaces of conventional

museum settings.5 Her vision for her Court was a place for entertainment, enrichment,

discussion and scholarship enveloped in a warm, inviting and intimate atmosphere. It is

this personal vision of Mrs. Gardners that initially shaped the creation of the museum,

one which, to this day, fashions the identity of the institution.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum has been a historic landmark of the

Fenway area since its opening on New Years Day 1903. Construction of the museum

3 Isabella Stewart Gardner: Founders Bio.Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.Museum Press Kit, 2009. Accessed 17 Nov. 2009.4

Higonnet, pp. 80.5 The Permanetnt Collection and Scholarly Exhibitions. Isabella Stewart GardnerMuseum. Museum Press Kit, 2009. Accessed 17 Nov. 2009.


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began in June 1899, a year after the sudden death of her husband, Jack Gardner. The

building was originally designed by architect Willard T. Sears who employed a gothic

style aimed to evoke the appearance of the Palazzo Barbaro of Venice, Italy. This

beautiful four-story palace contains fourteen galleries on three floors, with an interior

courtyard garden enclosed by a glass ceiling. This fanciful recreation of the 15 th century

Venetian style includes direct quotations of the loggia corridors and pointed arch

colonnades of the Palazzo Barbaro and even goes so far as to work actual imported

architectural fragments from European Gothic and Renaissance structures into the

museum design. Mrs. Gardners attraction to the European aesthetic was not usual for her

time, as the mid 19th century saw a rise in wealthy American spectatorship and travels in

Italy. Venice was a prime center for her collection acquisitions over the years as she and

her husband spent several weeks there every other year.6 The museum is, in its entirety,

the very product of Mrs. Gardners vibrant imagination and individual tastes from top to

bottom and it is this very foundation that current museum administrators and supporters

work everyday to preserve.

This preservation of Mrs. Gardners original museum design is central to the

identity and responsibilities of the museum. Before her death in 1924, Isabella penned a

10-page will that explicitly calls for the perpetual continuation of the museum experience

she designed for her visitors. Her will prohibits the tampering of any arrangements or

displays within the museum, and forbids the removal or addition of any objects from the

collection. Her will also stipulates that in the event of breach of this will, the museum, in

6 Matthews, Rosemary. Collectors and Why They Collect: Isabella Stewart Gardner andher Museum of Art.Journal of the History of Collections, Vol. 21, No. 2 (2009). OxfordUniversity Press, pp. 183-189.


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its entirety is to be bequeathed to Harvard University and the all objects are to be sold at

auction. This extreme demand can be striking to some, as it seems that Mrs. Gardner

would rather her lifes work be completely deconstructed than altered in any way.7 The

severity of her will is a lasting reflection of the passion of her nature during her lifetime.

As with most collections, Mrs. Gardners relationship with the art objects and spaces she

assembled runs in a much deeper and intimate course than simply serving self-

gratification or even the enjoyment of the public. Rosemary Matthews writes in a 2009

Journal of the History of Collections, The purchase of her first Old Master [painting]

was influenced by the loss of her son, and the creation of her museum inextricably linked

to the death of her husband. 8 She goes on to speculate that Mrs. Gardner, like many

collectors, saw her collection as an extension of herself, and as the stringency her will

suggests, will act as a perpetual and immortal identity. The unorthodox and highly

individual manner of the museum does not only reflect the tastes and personality of its

founder, but in fact reflects her life in both struggles and triumphs.

[THE IDENTITY] After taking the time to acknowledge the Gardner collection as

both a personal extension of the self as well as a philanthropic gesture towards the

enrichment of the public, it is easy to see why the museum has for years stood by its

foundations. In 19th century America, most art museum shared the basic universal goal of

providing inspiration and instruction for American artists and designers, as well as

7Higonnet, Anne. Private Museums, Public Leadership: Isabella Stewart Gardner and

the Art of Cultural Authority. Cultural Leadership in America: Art Matronage andPatronage. Fenway Court Vol. XXVII, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: 1997.8

Matthews, pp. 183.


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education and enjoyment for the general public.9 This purpose was the driving force of

Mrs. Gardners establishment as it operated as vibrant venue for artists, musicians and

scholars alike. To tamper with, or alter this vision at all, would indeed seem a personal

crime against wishes of Mrs. Gardner, yet the museum must take into account the

progress of time and standards. During Isabellas lifetime only about 1000 people visited

the museum each year. Presently, that number has now increased to over 200,000

visitors.10 Towards the end of the 20th century, the museum began to feel the pressure

When addressing the question of identity, particularly in the case of Mrs. Gardners

museum, it is inevitable that issues of legal as well as moral responsibilities will arise.

Philanthropy versus self-gratification Fenway Court, as the Museum was called at its

inception, is the only private art collection in which the building, collection and

installations are the creation of one individual. The unconventional nature and order of

the gallery displays provides a reflection of her extraoridinary life.11 Unlike other art

museums, the ISGM sometimes referred to as Fenway Court exhibition reflects the

collectors personal aesthetic tastes: a John Singer Sargent watercolor hanging above a

decorative vase from China, a fifteenth-century tapestry situated next to Chinese

sculpture from the eleventh-century. The museum is in fact an endeavor that goes beyond

Isabellas pastime as a collector. Isabella undoubtedly understood the power her museum

held to act as very much more than the sun of its parts, that is its ability to function, to

9 Gardner, Albert Teneyck. Museum in Motion. The Metropolitan Museum of ArtBulletin, New Series, Vol. 24, No. 1 (Summer, 1965). pp. 12-24.10

Miliard, Mike. Gardner Growing Pains: Her Will Be Done. The Boston Phoenix. 19Dec. 2007. Accessed 19 Nov. 2009. < http://thephoenix.com/boston/Arts/53241-Gardner-growing-pains/>11

Matthews, pp. 183.


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exercise authority, once it becomes something else besides a collection of art objects. 12

[ISSUES] Although the ISGM website (www.gardnermuseum.org) containsdetailed information (including title, date of creation, artist, artists country of birth, artistlife span, medium, dimensions, and provenance/purchase information), on some

collection elements can be located on no information accompanies the collectionelements on the walls in the galleries.13 If visitors ask, security guards can provide

information on individual pieces, as they seem to have received training on the collection.Furthermore, there are laminated 8 x 11 overviews of each gallery which provide basicinformation on each piece. For many years, it was Gardners decree and lingering legacyover the Museum which immobilized administrators: programs were infrequently offeredand the galleries were falling into disrepair. . In some ways, the hands of the ISGMadministrators are tied: they cannot move the items nor create new exhibitions with thecollection.

[SOLUTIONS] necessary investments in the museums long-term futurewere considered. Hawley promptly began investing in conservation spending $8 million

on an HVAC system to address the condensation that frequently formed in the galleries(Storrs) . In an interview in 2004, Hawley discusses her vision for the ISGM in the 21stCentury: I hope the Gardner will be a center for creativity, a place where you see a greatcollection carefully conserved. Toward that end, the Massachusetts Court of Appealsruled in April 2009 that a museum expansion was a reasonable deviation fromGardners will. A new building behind the museum will house a new conservation lab, inaddition to performance hall, apartments for artists in residence, as well as more spaciousadministrative offices, a cafe, and gift shop. Following a heist in 1990, in which two mendressed as Boston police officers, entered the museum after hours and walked away withover $500 million in art, museum administrators have been forced to breathe new life intothe space. The ISGM only earnestly approached the issue of conservation in the 1990s.

The art heist of 1990 seemed to lift the constraint of Gardners legacy and force themuseum administrators to rethink some of the assumptions under which the museum hadformerly operated. The mid 1990s saw many large scale scholarly and artistic restorationprojects including a complete recatalogue of the museums collections and thepublication of new written gallery guides for the public.14

12 Higonnet, Anne. Private Museums, Public Leadership: Isabella Stewart Gardner andthe Art of Cultural Authority. Cultural Leadership in America: Art Matronage andPatronage. Fenway Court Vol. XXVII, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: 1997.

13 The following is an example of the information available online:Portrait of Josphine Gaujelin, 1867; Edgar Degas, French, 1834-1917; Oil on canvas,61.2 x 45.7 cm; Purchased in 1904 from Eugene Glaenzer and Co., New York.14 Goldfarb, Hillard. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: A Companion Guide andHistory. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Yale University: 1995.


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The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is, without a doubt, a museum in the midst

of a critical identity and allegiance struggle. Because of it unique nature, the museum is

faced with the challenge of competing as an effective institution of public art services

while simultaneously trying to maintain the image of its founder, resulting in complex

conflict of priorities and responsibilities. While these various bodies of responsibility can

prove contradictory in some cases, they do not at all times stand on opposing sides.

Sparked by the unfortunate heist of 1990, the museum has undergone a remarkable

revitalization moving towards the resurrection of the original spirit of the Fenway Court.

Its academic and artistic programs in music and historic and contemporary fine arts have

recreated the same communal atmosphere Mrs. Gardner herself sought to foster. Today,

the museum stands as a beaming example of the renaissance of a legacy. As the coming

years have promised even more substantial regeneration, including the proposed

expansion, it appears that Mrs. Gardners dream has not yet lost its flame. It is the very

same dream that has for over a hundred years carried the identity and spirit of the

Gardner Museum.

[CITATIONS] Isabella Stewart Gardner had the words cest mon plaisir carved into thebrickwork above the front door of her museum as a statement of her intention in forming

her collection.15The collections (at the MET), too, are always changing - growing, being refined and

culled over to

eliminate lesser works and substitute more important examplesthe basic purpose of

most American art museums was to provide inspiration and instruction for

American artists and designers, as well as education and enjoyment for the general

public.16

Uniquely and personally arranged by Isabella Stewart Gardner to fire the imagination ofall who visit, the museum also presents contemporary and historic exhibitions, Americasoldest museum music program, visiting Artists-in-Residence, and innovative school and

15 Matthews pp. 183.16


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community partnerships that provide ongoing inspiration.The proposed project will help to preserve, protect, and enhance the historic integrityof the Museums most significant historic and cultural resources while providing much-needed space for visitorservices, administrative needs, and programming. The new space will include an

exhibition gallery, a performance hall,orientation space, education classrooms, a caf, gift shop, greenhouses, offices andconservation labs.17

Bibliography

17 Deely, Cathy. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Renzo Piano BuildingWorkshop Announce the Selection of CBT/Childs Bertman Tseckares Inc. as the LocalArchitect for the Museums New Building Project. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.20 Nov. 2006. Accessed 11 Nov. 2009.


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Beam, Alex. Testing Mrs. Gardner's Will.Boston Globe. 27 Jan. 2009. Accessed 20

Nov. 2009.

Deely, Cathy. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Renzo Piano Building

Workshop Announce the Selection of CBT/Childs Bertman Tseckares Inc. as the

Local Architect for the Museums New Building Project. Isabella Stewart Gardner

Museum. 20 Nov. 2006. Accessed 11 Nov. 2009.

Gardner, Albert Teneyck. Museum in Motion. The Metropolitan

Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, Vol. 24, No. 1 (Summer, 1965). pp. 12-24.

Goldfarb, Hillard. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: A Companion Guide and

History. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Yale University: 1995.

Higonnet, Anne. Private Museums, Public Leadership: Isabella Stewart Gardner and the

Art of Cultural Authority. Cultural Leadership in America: Art Matronage and

Patronage. Fenway Court Vol. XXVII, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: 1997.

Matthews, Rosemary. Collectors and Why They Collect: Isabella Stewart Gardner and

her Museum of Art.Journal of the History of Collections, Vol. 21, No. 2 (2009).

Oxford University Press, pp. 183-189.

Miliard, Mike. Gardner Growing Pains: Her Will Be Done. The Boston Phoenix. 19

Dec. 2007. Accessed 19 Nov. 2009. < http://thephoenix.com/boston/Arts/53241

Gardner-growing-pains/>

The Collector and the Collected Gardner Museum

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