McMullen Museum of Art.

The Boston College Art Gallery was created in 1975 upon the merger between the Newton College of the Sacred Heart and Boston College. At the time of the merger, Newton College of the Sacred Heart possessed both a Fine Arts Department and an Art Gallery. Art exhibitions were held in Newton until 1988 when an art gallery managed by the Department of Fine Arts opened on the main campus in Devlin Hall. During the first year of existence, the gallery was used exclusively to exhibit the work of BC students and faculty. By the late 1970s, the gallery began to feature the work of artists outside of Boston College.

In 1993, the Boston College Museum of Art opened in Devlin Hall under the direction of Professor of Art History, Nancy Netzer. The museum was dedicated to the collection, exhibition, understanding, and preservation of works of art under its care. These works include many from collections begun in the early years of Boston College, as well as pieces assimilated from the art collection at Newton College. In its location within Devlin Hall, the museum occupied two floors of Devlin Hall: the first displaying the university's permanent collection, while the second floor houses special exhibits.

In 2005, the McMullen Family Foundation provided a lead gift to renovate and build an addition to the Neo-Renaissance palazzo at 2101 Commonwealth Avenue. Designed in 1927 by architects Maginnis & Walsh, the building originally served as the home of Boston’s cardinal archbishops. The renovation was completed in 2016. The Museum of Art was named in recognition of its longtime patrons John and Jacqueline McMullen in honor of John's parents, Isabella and Charles.