Addison Gallery of American Art

A small museum with some very nice pieces on the second floor.
The ship models are large, and cool if you are into that sort of thing.
One person I was with, upon seeing the ships said ‘welcome to the land of who gives a …‘
I would not suggest taking a long trip to get here.

I didn’t know this small free gallery existed, but I heard about it and saw that it had a substantial collection of Hudson River School art, so as a huge fan of American landscape art I excitedly took a trip to check it out. Turns out they don’t display their permanent collection, except when pieces fit into one of their exhibits. So what I saw today were some black canvases and a coat hanger sculpture. I know that’s appealing to a lot of people, but not so much my taste. I’m sad that there’s so much great art in storage that nobody gets to see. I can appreciate what they do given their size and non-​profit status, and the employees are very friendly and helpful. I just didn’t get to see what I expected to see, so I pout and whine a little.

I am so fortunate to have this gem of a gallery so close to home. Addison in Bloom was a wonderful exhibit of floral interpretations of the gallery’s works of art. I always feel rejuvenated after visiting.

Last week, I vısıted thıs fıné art museum on the campus of an exclusıve hıgh school, Phıllıps Academy. I saw wonderful Amerıcan paıntıngs by leadıng Amerıcan paınters such as: Frederıc Church, John Henry Twachtman, Dwıght Tryon, John Sınger Sargent, John SloanEdward Hopper, Marsden Hartley, Man Ray, Phillip Guston, and Georgıa O’Keefe, among others. I also relıshed theır temporary exhıbıt, featurıng ınnovatıve Contemporary Photography by Lorna Sımpson. I Ialso lıked ıts collectıon of models of famous Amerıcan shıps.For those wıthout cars, you can reach thıs free art museum by Boston Commuter Raıl (Andover stop, one mıle from thıs museum on pedestrıan-​frıendly streets.

Love, love, love the Addison! A quaint museum that is a lovely place to spend time in. The exhibits rotate every season (fall, winter, and spring) and there’s ¾ new shows each time. The Addison has a great collection: so many classic pieces and lots of cool, newer photography and contemporary pieces. There’s an ever-​growing library with a beautiful Museum Learning Center to read and do get work done. The Museum does lots of great classes and programs for Phillips Academy students, local public school students, and college and community groups. Everything (well except the small gift shop, of course) is free making it a great morning or afternoon activity for the whole family.

Very impressive collection and interesting exhibits for a free museum located at a (very very exclusive) boarding school. We went to see the Whistler exhibit, which was well worth the effort. I really enjoyed the exhibit in the next gallery that had just opened today. Great collecti

This gallery is a treasure waiting to be discovered. The selections on view from the permanent collection were chosen to complement the special exhibits and i loved almost every piece. What a trove of art for a small museum. I was there on a Saturday late morning and I practically had the place to myself. I like to see people enjoying art but it’s also nice to feel like you’re in your private gallery! I got a nice dose of my favs (Sargent, Homer, Bierstadt, Prendergast, Inness) and picked up a few names for future exploration. I was especially pleased to see quite a few watercolors. The contrast with these classic works and the more contemporary special exhibits was nice. It took a moment to shift gears for «the kids are alright» photographs but once i did I was captivated. I have to admit I was not able able to do the same for the exhibit on the Kennedy assassination. Wasn’t quite prepared for that. As others have noted, the Academy grounds are lovely and worth a stroll. There is a tree with a marker indicating that it was planted on the occasion of alum George Bush Jr’s recent visit. i wonder if he visited the Gallery when he went there?

Aside from the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, this is one of my favorite spots north of Boston to see some of the most renown art in the world. For a small (yet prestigious) prep school, the Addison Gallery really gets some of the best known artwork. Where else locally can you go see Picasso, Gauguin, and others all for FREE? Well worth stopping in and going for a stroll on the beautiful Phillips campus on a nice day.
NOTE: While the museum had been closed for +1 year for renovations, I hear that it is now open again. I can’t wait to stop by to see what they’ve done!

I just went here for the William Wegman exhibit– what a treat! And I do mean treat because it’s a free museum; although for such an experience you’d be hard pressed not to put something in the collection boxes. Anyway, Dan’s review tells of the high quality paintings that reside here on a mostly permanent basis (some of their collection is going on a worldwide tour soon). The Wegman Show ends real soon (the museum will be closed Aug. 1^st-​Sept. 3^rd) so call them up to check details. It’s probably about ½ hr. drive from Boston. By the way if you know Wegman only as a photographer this will open your eyes to his skills in collage, drawing, painting & video, all with the similar sense of humor that his photos possess. P. S. There are plenty of Wienerhamer photos.

A somewhat out of the way gem, located on the campus of Phillips Academy Andover about 20 mi north of Boston. A small but highly regarded museum dedicated of course to American Art, with about 4 – 5 galleries spread out over two floors. Exhibitions are always well put together (there a dozen or so rotating per year), and you’ll definitely see works of big names here — the permanent collection includes pieces by Hopper, Winslow Homer, Georgia O’Keefe, Dorothea Lange, Whistler, Frank Stella (an Andover alum) among others.
Totally worth a visit if you’re in the area, and good for a leisurely hour of perusing. And best of all, it’s FREE.
When you’re done, it’s also nice to just walk around the campus, which is full of nice historic buildings and is gorgeously laidout and landscaped.