Bernard Berenson

Bernard Berenson , born Bernhard Valvrojenski with Butrimonys (Lithuania) on July 26th, 1865, dead on October 6th, 1959, is American historian of art specialist in the Italian Renaissance.

He contributed to the definition of Italy in general, and Florence in particular, like the cradle of Art by discovering it in situ .

art undoubtedly has a history, but this history hardly has interest if it becomes the business of scholars professing ex will cathedra in dark universities . |Reported remark

Biography

It is born from an Jewish family in Lithuania which emigrates in Boston in 1875 when the Albergo father takes the name of Berenson.

After having obtained a license in Harvard in 1887, it leaves for Europe with his Mary wife thanks to a grant offered by its school-fellows and there, mature their vocation for the criticism and the history of art, initially with Bergamo then with Florence where they settle.

It starts by competing with the official guides in the museums and, well quickly, one makes him a fame of expert and expert in old objets d'art.

In 1895, at the time of an exposure of paintings of sales of private collections, it publishes a complement with the official catalog: on 33 Titien exposed, it authenticates one of them, it also refutes 18 Giorgione.

He becomes expert near one of the brothers Duveen, antique dealer of international repute, and of 1903 with the crisis of 1930, he is the expert more listened and the surest purchaser. Meanwhile, it publishes its works: activity that it continues until its last day, in famous the Villa I Tatti close to Settignano that it bought in 1905 and which it restaura.
It lived there voluntary tyrannical , in a “ laic monastery devoted to the patient study of the Mediterranean culture through arts”, celebrates everywhere in the world like larger expert of Italian art.

The villa I Tatti is from now on seat of the Center of the History of the Rebirth of the Université of Harvard to which it also bequeathed its collection of works of art of works of art of primitive Italian, Chinese art and Islamic art, its library of more than 50.000 works and an imposing photographic library of more than 300.000 personal photographs annotated of its hand on works of Article.

The great importance of Berenson lies especially in the critical guns which he proposes in Dessins of the painters florentins, classified, criticized and studied like documents for the history and the appreciation of art Tuscan (1903), critical guns based on the recognition, in tactile values, the work of art and values of movement .

Berenson was even the first to appreciate and support the Impressionism of Cézanne and Matisse, by thus giving a contribution inestimabie for a correct evaluation of this experiment of the Modern art.

Quotation

“the function of the history of art is of to rise not above the immutable values, but above the preferences which the manias and hysterias of the world cause. It must overcome the personal preconcepts and the exclusivism of the snobs; it must also learn how to initially appreciate the styles which follow one another, for their intrinsic value, if mean that it is, and then for the value which they can have at present in a humanistic design of the life. ”

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