Chasing Beauty: The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner by Natalie Dykstra
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It was during a thoughtful and memorable first date with a boy who wanted to impress me that I fell in love visiting the Isabella Stewart Garner Museum for the first time in the late 80s—before the heist. Decades later, I love it still, with its many treasures that invite new discoveries with each visit. I feel so fortunate to have seen the entire well-curated collection, but also saddened when on subsequent visits, that most recently have included my grown children, I stare at the wide wall of empty frames. I concur with the author of Chasing Beauty that Isabella Stewart Gardner would have been furious. And rightly so. She was formidable in all that she accomplished at a time when women had limited agency over big projects, like creating a public museum of her vast collection. Yes, one could argue as other reviewers have, that her voracious acquisitive nature was fed by tremendous wealth, but I would counter that her wealth was an indispensable vehicle for fulfilling a generous vision and legacy that benefits the public to this day.
I enjoyed Dykstra’s objectively told biography for her tasteful and respectful treatment of a complex woman of indomitable spirit and determination who I find awe-inspiring. The book was well-researched and organized within the context of its political and cultural times. I listened to the audio version, which was beautifully narrated, and will probably purchase the hardcover so that I can refer to it again. I also look forward to my next time at the museum to be impressed anew and discover many pieces referenced through Dykstra’s scholarly work and to revisit favorites, now having learned more about them. I recommend this book for anyone interested in art, especially its collectors and their collections at a pivotal time in American history. And if you haven’t been yet, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a palace of treasures worth experiencing that reflects its founder’s love of all things beautiful.
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