With nearly 50 years of helming two world-renowned Boston museums between them, Museum of Fine Arts director Malcolm Rogers and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum director Anne Hawley have both announced their plans to retire. Before they leave, we asked them to look back on their tenures.

Favorite…

MR: Acquisition: Garrowby Hill, from David Hockney’s dramatic panoramic landscapes series, is a favorite—and not just because I grew up only about 15 miles away! It debuted in the U.S. in the 1998 MFA exhibition New Paintings by David Hockney. It is a powerful example of the artist’s distinctive landscape style with its patchwork palette of bright purples, yellows, reds and its deep perspectives.

AH: Work in the Collection: Right now my favorite in the collection is the tapestry revealing Tomyris, queen of the Massagetae, in her garden receiving a messenger from Cyrus, king of the Persian Empire. It’s a luscious tapestry filled with movement, perspective and color.

Tenure Highlight

MR: The transformative Art of the Americas Wing, and the many times we’ve been able to open new doors to the Boston community and global audiences. From reopening the doors at Huntington Avenue, to the naming of the Avenue of the Arts, to improving digital access to the collection—including e-publications, distance learning and more.

AH: Working with a great collection and talented staff generating programs, as well as working on the design of the new wing with architect Renzo Piano, board chair Barbara Hostetter and trustee Bill Egan.

Most Overlooked Piece in the Museum

MR: Tiepolo’s ceiling piece, Virtue and Nobility Crowning Love, in our European galleries. It was painted for a palace in Venice and somehow brings the magical light we associate with that city to our museum.

AH: Michelangelo’s Pietà for Vittoria Colonna, which is hidden away in the cabinet in the Short Gallery. It’s so deeply emotional.

Future Plans

MR: I hope to be on both sides of the Atlantic—after all, I have 20 years of friends here. I’d like to return to my scholarly pursuits, listen to more music and read new books.

AH: Seeing more of my husband, who lives in New York during the week—and living in art.

Photo Credits: Garrowby Hill Photo Courtesy of the Juliana Cheney Edwards Collection, Seth K. Sweetser Fund, and Tompkins Collection—Arthur Gordon Tompkins Fund ©David Hockney Photo © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Virtue and Nobility Crowning Love Photo © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston