Big names in a small setting await visitors to the Addison Gallery at Phillips Academy in Andover

Part of the fun in exploring Boston’s North Shore is finding destinations that feed your appetite for discovery. Is art is high on your list of interests? Then you need to know about the small but ambitious Addison Gallery of American Art on the campus of the prestigious prep school, Phillips Academy. This hidden gem been surprising and delighting visitors since 1931.

On a recent visit, we arrived to find that a photography exhibit had just opened. It featured 1950s images from two giants of mid-century American photography, Robert Frank and Todd Webb. The show cleverly juxtaposed photos taken on cross-country trips by both masters at roughly the same time. On display were journals and notes about their experiences and discoveries while on the road.

Adjacent to that show were a gallery featuring photographs from the Addison’s collection. It was a good example of the depth of their permanent collection.

In another gallery, the Addison featured American paintings from the core collection of American art. We were dazzled by unfamiliar and at times uncharacteristic works from Sargent, Homer, Eakins and Whistler, among others. It was a compact show, impressive at any museum, anywhere.

While not as large as other museums on the North Shore of Boston, the Addison Gallery at Phillips Academy is a rewarding destination. It provides a pleasant opportunity to enjoy world-class art in beautifully renovated galleries without having to negotiate crowds. 

STEP OUTSIDE AND TAKE A STROLL: After your visit, a short walk behind the museum will reveal Philips Academy’s Montcrieff Cochran Sanctuary. It offers an opportunity for a pleasant stroll along its wide gravel paths. Choose the blue trail for a 2-mile stroll or follow the map at the entrance to criss-cross the sanctuary for a shorter walk. If you time it right, hundreds of rhododendrons may be in bloom!