I have always been fascinated by the Gardner Museum so was very excited when I learned about the new picture book biography, What Isabella Wanted: Isabella Stewart Gardner Builds a Museum by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Matt Cordell. I love that Gardner collected all different kinds of art and knick-knacks and that she then arranged them in a seemingly random way in her home.
From the biography, I learned other interesting facts. Gardner opened her home to the public 20 days out of the year, and she charged them $1.00 to enter. I also think it is fascinating that the 1990 theft of art work is considered one of the largest art heist's of modern history. The museum still leaves the empty frames in the Museum.
If I were to have a museum of my "art" and collections, I imagine it would be something like Gardner's. After reading the picture book biography, I want to learn more about her as a person. The LOC has some amazing primary sources about Gardner.