Unconventional, energetic and independent, the New York City born Isabella Stewart Gardner commonly appeared in the Boston gossip pages as she blazed trails as socialite, art patron, and art collector. Beginning in the 1890s, she and her husband Jack began seriously collecting art while traveling through Europe, America, and Asia developing a world-renown and eclectic collection. Near the end of the nineteenth century, "Mrs. Jack" as she was known, began planning the building and design of a new home in the Fenway area of Boston houses to accommodate and show off her growing collection. In this two-part lecture, we look at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, which was designed according to her personal and eccentric aesthetic, and the immense collection of works of art including pieces by Titian, Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt, John Singer Sargent, Edgar Degas, and many others. Part 1 will talk more about Isabella’s biography, origins, and early collecting. Part 2 will discuss the foundation of her museum. (This lecture can be taken independently, though it is recommended that you take them together.)

Katherine E. Zoraster is an Art Historian and a Professor of Art History at several local colleges specializing in Western art from the Renaissance to the 20th century. She graduated with a double major in English Literature and Art History from the University of California, Los Angeles. Following her undergraduate degree, she received a Master’s Degree with Distinction in Art History from the California State University at Northridge.
In addition to the courses Katherine teaches for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute through UCLA Extension and California State University at Channel Islands, she also works as an Adjunct Professor of Art History at Moorpark College and an Art History Instructor for the full-time program at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Arts. Katherine also serves as a commissioner for the Burbank Cultural Arts Commission and volunteers at the Burbank Animal Shelter. In her free time Katherine is an avid runner and travels extensively.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older.