First look at the Gardner's new wing

adamg — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:19:30 +0000

Greg Cook takes us on a tour of the new Renzo Piano wing of the Fenway museum:

The addition's new 300-seat concert hall and a special exhibition gallery are dashing. And they make the old building better too by freeing up space to showcase the core collection, particularly in the dramatically improved tapestry room.

It's not perfect. From the outside, the addition, which sits behind the palace, could be mistaken for the mechanical building of one of the neighboring, generic school or medical campuses. And the corridor from the new building to the old begins muddled and dull. But the way it delivers you into the old palace, right beside the blossoming courtyard, is a revelation, that feels like Gardner's old magic.

Next "After Hours at Mrs. Jack’s" March 19 at Gardner Museum

dwyer — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:58:11 +0000

Boston might be more famous for its museums than its nightlife, but there’s plenty of both. When you combine the two, sophisticated Bostonians turn out in droves. “Gardner After Hours,” held at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum on the third Thursday of each month, is just such an event. Read the article by John Stephen Dwyer.