Overview
The vivid and masterful story ofĀ Isabella Stewart Gardnerācreator of one of Americaās most stunning museumsāan American originalĀ whose own life was remade by art. Includes archival photos of Isabellaās world, museum,Ā and the artĀ she collected.
Isabella Stewart Gardnerās museum, with its plain exterior enfolding an astonishing four-story Italian palazzo, rose from Bostonās Fens at the turn of the twentieth century. Its treasures encompassed not only masterwork paintings but tapestries, rare books, prints, porcelains, and fine furniture.
An extraordinary achievement of storytelling and scholarship, Chasing Beauty illuminates the fascinating ways the museum and its holdings can be seen as a kind of memoir, dazzling and haunting, created with objects instead of words and displayed per Isabellaās wishes in the exact placements she initially curated.
Born in 1840 to a privileged New York family, Isabella Stewart married Boston Brahmin Jack Gardner as she turned twenty. She was misunderstood by Bostonās insular society and suffered the death of her only child, a beloved boy, not yet two years old.
But in time came friendships, glittering and bohemian; awe-inspiring world travels; and collecting beautiful things with a keen eye and competitive paceāall these were balm for loss.Ā Henry James and John Singer Sargentāwhose portrait of Isabella was a masterpiece and a scandalācame to recognize her originality. Bernard Berenson, leading connoisseur of the Italian Renaissance, was her art dealer.
From award-winning author Natalie Dykstra,Ā Chasing BeautyĀ is the story of the complex and singular woman behind one of the most fascinating museums in the nation and the worldāa tale of beauty and loss, grit and American self-invention.
Ā
This book title, Chasing Beauty (The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner), ISBN: 9781328515759, by Natalie Dykstra, published by HarperCollins (March 26, 2024) is available in hardcover. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
Unlike Amazon and other retailers who may also offer Chasing Beauty (The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner) books on their website, we specialize in large quantities and provide personal service, from trusted, experienced, friendly people in Portland, Oregon. We offer a Price Match Guarantee, and QuickQuote form, to make purchasing quick and easy.
Prefer to work with a human being when you order Chasing Beauty (The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner) books in bulk? Our Book Specialists are standing by Monday-Friday 8-5 PST, ready to help!