Stop 104: Yellow Room 
Hello, I’m Pieranna Cavalchini; as the museum’s Curator of Contemporary Art, I wanted to be the one to show you around this room because it’s filled with art of Isabella’s own time. For her, it was contemporary art. Music, and musicians, are definitely a theme here too. Let’s start at the long low case that’s on the same wall as the doorway into the room. 


The painting above the case, in the middle, is a portrait of the composer and violinist Charles Martin Loeffler, a great friend of Isabella’s. John Singer Sargent made this painting as a birthday gift to Isabella, because she was such a fan of Loeffler’s music. That’s the music we’re using for our ‘soundtrack’ in this room. 


In the case just below Loeffler’s portrait is a plaster cast of his hand. He’s holding the neck of a violin. This case is filled with Isabella’s ‘musical momentos’. In the right hand side, there are different versions of a program for a concert she hosted. There’s one with spectacles and a blue book. Another has a bird. It really says something to me that she would spend the time to make different designs for the same concert, for individual guests. 


To the right of the case, move to the painting that’s next to the window. As the lovers kiss, an angel with huge wings is playing a musical instrument. At first glance you might think this is a Medieval work. But it’s late 19th century! It’s an example of a British style of the time known as ‘Pre-Raphaelite’. Keep this painting in mind, and for a contrast, turn directly around. The painting next to the window on that wall is my favorite in this room. It’s mostly blue-grey in tone. It’s by James McNeill Whistler. Look slowly at it; as your eyes adjust you’ll see more of the landscape. Whistler was part of a different art movement of the time, whose slogan was ‘art for art’s sake’. The idea – ridiculed by the Pre-Raphaelities – was that art doesn’t have to convey any narrative. Like music, painting can exist purely as a sensual experience. It’s fascinating to me that Isabella placed these two works from competing art movements of her time directly opposite each other. They’re quite literally ‘facing off.’ 


The last painting I want to show you in this room is by Henri Matisse. To find it, as you’re facing the Whistler, turn right. There’s a short wall in front of you, with a door. On the upper right corner of that wall is a painting with a bright blue sky. There’s an arching plant in the foreground. Matisse’s wife is sitting in the shadows, in a patterned kimono. Isabella didn’t buy this work. A friend gave it to her, to encourage her to appreciate Matisse as a new artist. As she got older Isabella bought less art because she was creating a fund to support the future of her museum. It allows this truly unique place to be what it is today. With everything preserved correctly. And still a home, and a beacon for, contemporary art.