An Illuminated Life: Belle da Costa Greene's Journey from Prejudice to Privilege

by Heidi Ardizzone Ph.D.

Overview

The secret life of the sensational woman behind the Morgan masterpieces, who lit up New York society.

What would you give up to achieve your dream? When J. P. Morgan hired Belle da Costa Greene in 1905 to organize his rare book and manuscript collection, she had only her personality and a few years of experience to recommend her. Ten years later, she had shaped the famous Pierpont Morgan Library collection and was a proto-celebrity in New York and the art world, renowned for her self-made expertise, her acerbic wit, and her flirtatious relationships. Born to a family of free people of color, Greene changed her name and invented a Portuguese grandmother to enter white society. In her new world, she dined both at the tables of the highest society and with bohemian artists and activists. She also engaged in a decades-long affair with art critic Bernard Berenson. Greene is pure fascination—the buyer of illuminated manuscripts who attracted others to her like moths to a flame.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393051049
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	06/17/2007
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	624
Sales rank:	116,826
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 9.60(h) x 1.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Heidi Ardizzone is associate professor of American studies at Saint Louis University. She is the author of An Illuminated Life and The Color of Blood and coauthor of Love on Trial: An American Scandal in Black and White.

Editorial Reviews

"Deeply researched…More than any biography I’ve ever read, this one shows how people really do contain multitudes. Instead of making [Belle da Costa Greene] a tidy and consistent character, this book shows the true complexity of her astonishing and fascinating life."

Book Riot - Isabelle Popp

"Ardizzone offers a rich and fabulous look at an amazing woman determined to live beyond the limitations assigned by race and sex in her time."

Booklist (starred review)