General admission for children 17 years and under is always free

Fra Angelico

Heaven on Earth

February 22 - May 20, 2018
Hostetter Gallery

About the Exhibition

Renaissance master Fra Angelico transformed the history of western art with his breathtaking paintings. Heaven on Earth reunites the Gardner's magnificent Assumption and Dormition of the Virgin, acquired by Isabella in 1899 and the first Fra Angelico to reach the United States, with its three companions from the Museo di San Marco, Florence. Conceived as a set of jewel-like reliquaries for the Florentine church of Santa Maria Novella, they tell the story of the Virgin Mary's life. This exhibition invites you to explore Fra Angelico's ground-breaking narrative art, marvel at his peerless creativity, and immerse yourself in the material splendor of his craftsmanship.

Complementing Fra Angelico: Heaven on Earth, the exhibition Isabella's Relics features numerous treasures of historical or personal significance collected by Isabella Stewart Gardner. Items as diverse as a lock of Franz Liszt's hair, armbands worn by the wife of the last Mughal emperor, and a portrait miniature of her only child, Jackie, who died at the age of two, are evocative for their tactile connections to notable events as well as their links to Isabella's private life and friendships.

Madonnas on Parade

Exhibition Catalog

Accompanying the exhibition at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, this catalogue explores one of the most important artists of the Renaissance. Fra Angelico (about 1395–1455) transformed Western art with pioneering images, rethinking popular compositions and investing traditional Christian subjects with new meaning.

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Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400-1455), The Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin, 1424-1434. Tempera with oil glazes and gold on panel, 85.7 x 45.1 cm (33 3/4 x 17 3/4 in.)

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), The Annunciation and Adoration of the Magi, 1424-1434. Tempera with oil glazes and gold on panel, 87 x 50.7 cm (34 1/4 x 19 15/16 in.) Museo di San Marco, Florence – Polo Museale della Toscana

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), The Madonna della Stella, 1424-1434. Tempera with oil glazes and gold on panel, 87 x 51.8 cm (34 1/4 x 20 3/8 in.) Museo di San Marco, Florence – Polo Museale della Toscana

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), The Coronation of the Virgin, 1424-1434. Tempera with oil glazes and gold on panel, 77 x 43 cm (30 5/16 x 16 15/16 in.) Museo di San Marco, Florence – Polo Museale della Toscana

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), The Dormition of the Virgin, 1431-1435. On panel, 19 x 50 cm (7 1/2 x 19 11/16 in.) Museo di San Marco, Florence – Polo Museale della Toscana. Photo: Scala/Ministero per i Beni e le Attività culturali / Art Resource, NY

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), The Marriage of the Virgin, 1431-1435. On panel, 19 x 50 cm (7 1/2 x 19 11/16 in.) Museo di San Marco, Florence – Polo Museale della Toscana. Photo: Scala/Ministero per i Beni e le Attività culturali / Art Resource, NY

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), Armadio degli Argenti, 1450-1452. Tempera on panel, 123 x 60 cm (48 7/16 x 23 5/8 in.) Museo di San Marco, Florence – Polo Museale della Toscana

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), Predella from the Annalena altarpiece: Six Scenes from Life of Cosmas and Damian, about 1437-1440. Tempera on panel,20 x 117.5 cm (7 7/8 x 46 1/4 in.) Museo di San Marco, Florence – Polo Museale della Toscana

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), Paradise, 1431-1435. On panel, 112 x 114 cm (44 1/8 x 44 7/8 in.) Gallerie degli Uffizi, Florence. Photo: Scala/Ministero per i Beni e le Attività culturali / Art Resource, NY

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), The Pentitent Saint Jerome, about 1430. Pen and ink wash on paper, 12.8 x 7.5 cm (5 1/16 x 2 15/16 in.) Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe degli Uffizi, Florence

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), The Dormition of the Virgin, about 1425. Tempera, silver and tooled gold on panel, 26.2 x 52.2 cm (10 5/16 x 20 9/16 in.) Philadelphia Museum of Art. Photo: Philadelphia Museum of Art / Art Resource, NY

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), The Entombment of Christ, about 1450. Tempera and gold on poplar panel, 88.9 x 54.9 cm (35 x 21 5/8 in.) National Gallery of Art, Washington (1939.1.260).

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), Corsini Triptych (The Ascension, The Last Judgment, Pentecost), about 1447-1448. Tempera and gold on panel, 55 x 75 cm (21 5/8 x 29 1/2 in.) Galleria Nationale d'Arte Antica di Palazzo Corsini, Rome. Photo: Scala/Ministero per i Beni e le Attività culturali / Art Resource, NY

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), The Annunciation and Adoration of the Magi (detail), 1424-1434. Tempera with oil glazes and gold on panel, 87 x 50.7 cm (34 1/4 x 19 15/16 in.) Museo di San Marco, Florence – Polo Museale della Toscana

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), The Madonna della Stella (detail), 1424-1434. Tempera with oil glazes and gold on panel, 87 x 51.8 cm (34 1/4 x 20 3/8 in.) Museo di San Marco, Florence – Polo Museale della Toscana

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), The Coronation of the Virgin (detail), 1424-1434. Tempera with oil glazes and gold on panel, 77 x 43 cm (30 5/16 x 16 15/16 in.) Museo di San Marco, Florence – Polo Museale della Toscana

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), The Dormition of the Virgin, 1431-1435. On panel, 19 x 50 cm (7 1/2 x 19 11/16 in.) Museo di San Marco, Florence – Polo Museale della Toscana. Photo: Scala/Ministero per i Beni e le Attività culturali / Art Resource, NY

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), The Marriage of the Virgin, 1431-1435. On panel, 19 x 50 cm (7 1/2 x 19 11/16 in.) Museo di San Marco, Florence – Polo Museale della Toscana. Photo: Scala/Ministero per i Beni e le Attività culturali / Art Resource, NY

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), Armadio degli Argent (detail)i, 1450-1452. Tempera on panel, 123 x 60 cm (48 7/16 x 23 5/8 in.) Museo di San Marco, Florence – Polo Museale della Toscana

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), Predella from the Annalena altarpiece: Six Scenes from Life of Cosmas and Damian (detail), about 1437-1440. Tempera on panel,20 x 117.5 cm (7 7/8 x 46 1/4 in.) Museo di San Marco, Florence – Polo Museale della Toscana

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), Paradise (detail), 1431-1435. On panel, 112 x 114 cm (44 1/8 x 44 7/8 in.) Gallerie degli Uffizi, Florence. Photo: Scala/Ministero per i Beni e le Attività culturali / Art Resource, NY

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), The Pentitent Saint Jerome (detail), about 1430. Pen and ink wash on paper, 12.8 x 7.5 cm (5 1/16 x 2 15/16 in.) Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe degli Uffizi, Florence

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), The Dormition of the Virgin (detail), about 1425. Tempera, silver and tooled gold on panel, 26.2 x 52.2 cm (10 5/16 x 20 9/16 in.) Philadelphia Museum of Art. Photo: Philadelphia Museum of Art / Art Resource, NY

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), The Entombment of Christ (detail), about 1450. Tempera and gold on poplar panel, 88.9 x 54.9 cm (35 x 21 5/8 in.) National Gallery of Art, Washington (1939.1.260).

Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400 - 1455), Corsini Triptych (The Ascension, The Last Judgment, Pentecost) (detail), about 1447-1448. Tempera and gold on panel, 55 x 75 cm (21 5/8 x 29 1/2 in.) Galleria Nationale d'Arte Antica di Palazzo Corsini, Rome. Photo: Scala/Ministero per i Beni e le Attività culturali / Art Resource, NY

Exhibition-Inspired Programs

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Support for the Fra Angelico: Heaven on Earth exhibition is provided in part by the Robert Lehman Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which receives funding from the State of Massachusetts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Media Sponsor: WBUR