The Art Scene in Boston and Cambridge
By Fran Folsom
Even though the Institute of Contemporary Arts’ new
building has burst onto the art scene in Boston, there are several other classy
art museums in the area worth a visit.
Museum of Fine Arts
 The Museum of Fine Arts has been a fixture in the Fenway
area of Boston since America’s bicentennial year, 1876. Its collection of
450,000 works of art include Asian sculptures, Egyptian mummies, china and
furniture from around the world and stunning paintings by such artists as John
Singleton Copley, Degas, Mary Cassatt, Monet, Gilbert Stuart and John Singer
Sargent.
 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
A wealthy 19th century Bostonian and philanthropist,
Isabella Stewart Gardner traveled the world for most of her adult life
collecting art and antiques. On New Year’s Day 1903 Mrs. Gardner invited the
cream of Boston society to her new home, Fenway Court, which she had designed to
resemble a fifteenth century Venetian palace. This event officially opened her
home, museum and art to the public.
The Gardner’s 2,500 piece collection consists of rare
manuscripts and books, paintings, sculptures, textiles and ceramics from
throughout Italy, Asia, China, France and America. Most famous among her
paintings are those of Mrs. Gardner by her friend John Singer Sargent.
Harvard University Art Museums
The Fogg Art Museum, opened in 1895, is Harvard’s oldest
and most well known art museum. Three key exhibits here are; the Western art
which dates back to the Middle Ages, the magnificent Wertheim Collection
consisting of some of America’s best Impressionist and post-Impressionist works,
and the Picasso art, thought to be the best collection in the Boston area.
Busch-Reisinger Museum, founded in 1901, the museum
concentrates on the arts, paintings and sculptures of Central and Northern
Europe, particularly on German speaking countries. The Busch-Reisinger holds a
stellar collection of modern art from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Arthur M. Sackler Museum houses what is considered to be
the best collection of Asian art in the United States. There are seven
galleries, 16,000 pieces of art from India, Central and Southeast Asia, Tibet
and Korea. Not to be missed are the ancient woodblock prints and the museum’s
brilliant collection of Islamic art.
If You Go
Museum of Fine Arts
www.mfa.org
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
www.gardnermuseum.org
Harvard University Art Museums
www.artmuseums.harvard.edu
Photos courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts,
Boston and Isabella Steward Gardner Museum, Boston
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