Setting myself up for a nil thread, but this could be a good idea. Biographies are factual so even if we don't get any actual discussion going, it may stand for posterity as a record of some great lives- and indeed save me a lot of reading time. Anyone reading about Goethe or De Toqueville or St Augustine at the moment? I just know I'm never going to read a book about these chaps.

Anyway, reading "Being Bernhard Berenson" by Meryle Secrest. She's not a particularly cutting biographer, but a good read, though perhaps with some art-related errors.

Story so far- Berenson born in Lithuania, in the Pale. Parents emigrate to Boston, very poor, eldest son, hope of his family. Polymath but not particularly interested in art until he's about 25. By which time he has become friendly with Isabella Stewart Gardner who likes flirting with young creative men, and money is put together for BB to do a grand tour of Europe.

Spends a couple of years doing this, then one more year, having found another benefactor- which upsets Gardner. Doesn't like England except Oxford, loves Italy especially Venice. Visits loads of churches and galleries, taking photos to sort out attributions which have been a joke so far- interestingly the potential of photography to help hasn't been appreciated fully. Publishes an amazing on book on Venetian painters aged 29. Art world incredibly corrupt.

Still fairly happy as a disinterested scholar, but all set up nicely for the interesting part- his work as an attributor for Lord Duveen, an art dealer, where he could make big money by attributing to big painters. Conflicts of interest don't come clearer than that.

He like the word "connoisseur". As I do.

He's a very interesting character, but the book doesn't sound like it does him justice.

The Harvard "campus" in Italy is in his former villa in Fiesole (on the hill above Florence), which is glorious. They are also in the process of publishing this series of dual-language versions of classic Renaissance texts, which you may want to look out for.

BTW, when I pointed out Villa I Tatti to ursus minor during our last visit to Fiesole, he opined that it "wouldn't be a bad place to go to school".

He's a very wise child.

You'd need to elaborate on how impoverished bloke attracted so much moola to allow him to lead a life of indolent art studying.

Oul Isabella was either very smitten or a bit dim. Did BB see a good thing coming and milk her for all she was worth?

Isabella had more money than Croesus; her father was a shipping and Asia Trade tycoon and one of the richest people in the country.

Visitors to Boston are heartily encouraged to visit Ms Gardner's House.

Isabella inherited $2.75m in about 1890 but I think BB had caught her eye before that. No doubt his polymathy was a factor, but as I say, she apparently liked her young men in a flirty way. She and some friends put together $750 for the original tour to Europe. He did a bit of covert guiding to earn money when he was there, apparently dodging proper guides from whom he feared ultraviolence.

There was a chapter on BB in his later days at the start of the book, but I'm not sure what I or the book have missed out so far- what are you thinking of, Ursus? He's just started to make a few calls for Isabella on what to buy

His scholarly methods were interesting. He seemed to ignore documents and concentrate on the pictures themselves- particularly bits of them like hands and feet. I think he got this technique from Morelli.

Oh yes, he liked Walter Pater and met him but not much happened.

I'm not sure you're missing anything, it just sounds a bit "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" for me.

No doubt it'll get more like that when he is actually rich and famous.

Sounds like a Henry James novel to me.

He's about the only famous person of whom there is no photograph coming to see BB.