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Art historian Bernard Berenson rose from poverty as a Lithuanian Jewish immigrant to become the world's preeminent authority on Renaissance painting. His revolutionary books introduced precise authentication methodologies while making art appreciation accessible to broader audiences. From his Florentine villa I Tatti, Berenson advised major collectors including Isabella Stewart Gardner, helping build America's greatest museum collections. His passionate advocacy for art's humanizing power influenced generations, demonstrating how intellectual courage and aesthetic sensitivity can shape how societies engage with their artistic heritage.
"Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago."
"Psychoanalysts are not occupied with the minds of their patients; they do not believe in the mind but in a cerebral intestine."
Mind,
"When everything else physical and mental seems to diminish, the appreciation of beauty is on the increase."
"I would I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours."
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