whistler house museum of art

eds461

Had a wonderful visit during the holiday. The place was decked in holiday cheer. I had a guided tour and really enjoyed learning the history of James Whistler. I recommend this little place of history to anyone looking to learn more about Lowell and it's local artists.

jackholmes181

James Whistler, the painter, was born and lived here 12 years until the family moved to Scotland. Great fine art museum featuring known artists, like Whistler and Benton, and some very talented local artists as well.

864jont

Nice little Museum. You gotta make it to the top floor to visit the Artist in Residence. Hard to believe this is in the middle of Lowell.

hbednarsh

What a delightful place tucked along a side street. A small but pleasant park next to it. Very interesting art work and history. Comforting and appealing. Try it on one of the Lowell First Thursdays.

TravelingMarf

The Whistler House Museum was a real surprise. The house is beautifully restored and contains a small collection of paintings by local area artists and a number of engravings by Whistler and some of his personal items by Whistler. Typically visitors tour the house on their own but my friends and I arrived just at the right time for a guided tour by the house director. Because there were 5 of us she offered to show us around. Not only were we shown the art and told a little about the various pieces but we were also told about the future plans for the museum and the availability to hold functions at the museum. There is a very pretty courtyard garden with benches that leads to exhibition/educational building out back. The programs for children sound interesting and fun. The large garden space to the right of the house has a beautiful wisteria covered arbor that is nice to sit under and enjoy the view of the garden. It also contains a statue of Whistler with a timeline of his life around the bottom. This is a delightful small museum and another piece of the puzzle if you are interested in Whistler and his very early life in Lowell.

arialaura

I really enjoyed visiting the quaint museum; very nice local artists and beautiful works of art from unknown artists too! Nice surprise.

BC111

We had a group reception there, among very nice local people who hosted us. The art works are nicely displayed.

redeco

Sometimes experiencing art in little bites is best - and so it is with Whistler House Museum of Art, a very small, but fine museum that boasts several American Impressionist painters, some fine Whistler engravings, and some Boston School and North Shore art. There are a number of Emile Gruppe works, some Paxtons, a fine Frank Benson, Preston Phelps, William Morris Hunt, and others. I counted several Aldro Hibbards including one fine large painting in the upper hallway featuring ice cutting in a rural setting. I came back to re-view this picture before leaving.The house itself is charming and light-filled and was the birthplace of James McNeil Whistler. He spent little time here, yet the space retains his name. I loved my short, but enjoyable visit to this wonderful little museum. A nominal fee of (I think $5) is charged for admission.

Wil04

Visited the Whistler house while on a day visit to Lowell.I had expected some Whistlers, but few in evidence. Instead there's a mixture of work from local artist, which in a way gave the place a greater sense of place and charm being of broader historical interest than just that of home to Whistler.The staff were a joy and it felt like a real family atmosphere amongst them. The introductory talk on the houses origins gave a great insight to its inhabitants and the American Industrial Revolution.A highlight of my trip to Massachusetts.

JoyceW744

Whistler was born here but there are only a few of his etchings and engravings. The collection of late 19th, early 20th century art is small but a delightful temporary exhibit in their gallery next door was worth seeing. The volunteers were excellent and gave us a wonderful tour!

MaryWGG

We aren't Whistler experrts but really enjoyed visiting this little museum. There's a selection of work on display in the house, the staff are enormously friendly & seemed delighted to have visitors from Europe. The Whistler statue is excellent & the copper bath tub is awesome.

Traintown

I stumbled upon this gem while in town for the Lowell Baystate Marathon. I knew the original painting was in Paris but I still wanted to stop. There was a lot of artwork on display, a great historical backdrop, and quite a value at $5. And no lines!!! Highly recommend this.

patisson

The Whistler House Museum is an extraordinary discovery. You might not suspect this would be a highlight of Lowell, but the house is beautifully presented and full of an array of fabulous paintings and drawings. The collection goes well beyond Whistler and his contemporaries to include also a separate gallery of modern regional art of very high quality and great interest.To top it all, there is a real artist's studio at the top of the house under the rooftop, and a realartist to greet you there, making a visit all the more inspiring.Lowell is a great city to visit with a surprising number of hidden gems to discover, and this is definitely on the list of must-dos. Enjoy!

ALW_60

What a treasure trove of REAL Lowell History!It's more than just hearing about Whistlers Mother....It fills in all the Gaps and also they do some Play House Theater.There is a Lot to Like About Lowell !

CynthiaL

Just a block or two away from the Lowell National Park, the Whistler House is a microcosm of history and art. Besides the knowledgable staff, one can take their time enjoying the 19th century artwork, before going to the gallery behind the house, where modern artists and the artists in residence display their work. There is a lovely park dedicated to Whistler adjacent to the building.