----------------------------Original message----------------------------
It is with great sadness that I let you know that my mother, Ilse Bernett,
passed away on September 19, 2000. Along with her husband, Frederick, she
founded F. A. Bernett Books, specializing in out-of-print and rare art and
architecture books, in 1944.
She was born and raised in Berlin. After attending the University of
Heidelberg, Ilse received her PhD. from the University of Berlin in 1936.
Her thesis is cited by britannica.com in the bibliography of the painter,
Mantegna: "Ilse Blum. Andrea Mantegna und die Antike is a thorough analysis
of the appearance of antique motifs in Mantegna's work with identification
of his sources. There is some subsequent work on this aspect in English but
none supplanting this."
Leaving Berlin in the 30's, she went to Paris, where she worked in an art
gallery and in 1938 married Frederick. In 1941, they arrived in New York
and soon after, with both their backgrounds in art history, founded the
firm. They were charter members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association
of America and played active roles in the association for many years.
Numbered among their friends were many booksellers both here and abroad.
They made regular trips to Europe where they were able to combine their
search for books with the pleasures of European travel.
Ilse led a very active life outside the booktrade. In addition to my
brother, Tim, she had two grandchildren. She loved to cook and entertained
frequently. She read voraciously, loved music and was an avid concert and
opera-goer. She traveled widely and enjoyed it all whether to Europe, the
Western United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, or Wellfleet on Cape Cod where
she loved to summer.
By establishing this business, she gave me a wonderful opportunity for which
I have always been grateful. She was a marvelous person in every way and I
will miss her.
Peter Bernett
F. A. Bernett Inc.
Boston, MA
__________________________________________________________________
Mail submissions to [log in to unmask]
Administrative matters (file requests, subscription requests, etc)
to [log in to unmask]
ARLIS-L Archives and subscription maintenance:
http://lsv.uky.edu/archives/arlis-l.html
Questions may be addressed to list owner at: [log in to unmask]
