Originally located near the public entrance and the Museum’s former concert hall, the Yellow Room showcases two of Isabella Stewart Gardner’s lifelong passions: music and contemporary art. Paintings, drawings, and objects in the display cases attest to the wide range of her interests in musical traditions and genres, and also the depth of her relationships with composers and performers. This gallery also houses some of the Museum’s most significant modern paintings, many of which were acquired through Isabella’s relationships with the artists who helped her to build her collection. The small scale of the room, combined with the marigold-colored wall coverings and personal nature of many of the objects on view, conveys a sense of warmth and intimacy, and invites visitors to consider the more contemporary elements of Gardner’s collection at close range.
The Yellow Room will be closed September 3 to October 7 at the latest. The gallery lighting will be upgraded and the floor refinished.