The Best Art Museums in Boston

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

This unique art museum features the collection once owned by Isabella Stewart Gardner, an eccentric collector who enjoyed travel and ancient cultures. The building this museum is housed in is impressive as well. It's a Venetian style palazzo that has a beautiful courtyard and elegant architecture. Within the museum, the collection has grown to include more than 7,500 art pieces, 2,700 books and manuscripts, and more than 8,000 historical objects.

deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum

This 30 acres outdoor park and museum offers a peaceful place to explore with fields, gardens, lawns, forests, and terraces. It's located about 20 miles to the west of Boston, so if you're looking for a peaceful place to escape the city, this is a nice option.

Harvard Art Museums

The Harvard Art Museums include three museums - the Fogg Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum, and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum. There are also four research centers included in the system. These are the Archaeological exploration of Sardis, the Center for the Technical Study of Modern Art, the Harvard Art Museums Archives, and the Straus Center for conservation and Technical Studies.

Museum of Fine Arts

The MFA houses an impressive collection that includes more than 450,000 pieces of art and artifacts. It has one of the best collections of Korean art outside of the Korean peninsula. It also has an impressive Egyptian collection as well as a European wing that includes the Claude Monet gallery.

Nichols House Museum

The Nichols House Museum is located in an old Victorian mansion that was once owned by Rose Standish Nichols. This is a small and unique Boston museum that has a collection of art and furniture.

The Institute of Contemporary Art

The Institute of Contemporary Art is in the Seaport District by the harbor. From the location you can enjoy impressive views of the Boston Harbor. The beautiful museum features 20th and 21st century work by notable women including Louise Bourgeois, Doris Salcedo, and Eva Hesse. There is also a satellite space that is opened seasonally during the summer months. It's accessible by shuttle but must be booked in advance.