Isabella Stewart Gardner and Her Museum (Parts 1 and 2)

Unconventional, energetic and independent, the New York City born Isabella Stewart Gardner commonly appeared in the Boston gossip pages as she blazed trails as socialite, art patron, and art collector. Beginning in the 1890s, she and her husband Jack began seriously collecting art while traveling through Europe, America, and Asia developing a world-renown and eclectic collection. Near the end of the nineteenth century, "Mrs. Jack" as she was known, began planning the building and design of a new home in the Fenway area of Boston houses to accommodate and show off her growing collection.

Part 1 will talk more about Isabella’s biography, origins, and early collecting. Part 2 will discuss the foundation of her museum. The lectures can be taken independently, though it is recommended that you take them together.

Katherine E. Zoraster is an art historian and a professor of art history at several local colleges, specializing in Western art from the Renaissance to the 20th century. She graduated with a double major in English literature and art history from the University of California, Los Angeles. She received her master’s degree with distinction in art history from the California State University, Northridge. 

Registration is required. Each independent, 2-hour lecture is $10.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for people age 50 and older. All two-hour lectures in the FABulous Summer Lecture Series are open to all ages.

Register

Register by July 15 (for Part 1) and July 22 (for Part 2) before 1 p.m.