Dear Shelia:
Here are some suggestions, some of which may be out of print, but they're a good read, particularly the Hilla Rebay, and if they are out-of-print they might be readily available at reasonable prices.
Lukach, Joan M. Hilla Rebay: In Search of the Spirit in Art. New York: George Braziller, 1983
Friedman, B.H. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney: A Biography. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1978.
Burkhalter, Lois Wood. Marion Koogler McNay: A Biography 1883-1950. San Antonio: Marion Koogler McNay Art Institute, 1968 (this might still be available from the museum)
Hall, Lee. Betty Parsons: Artist, Dealer, Collector. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, 1991
Carter, Morris. Isabella Stewart Gardner and Fenway Court. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1925. This is a classic biography which I believe has been kept in print by the museum. Even original hardback editions may be obtainable for under $10
Pollack, Barbara. The Collectors: Dr. Claribel and Miss Etta Cone; with a "portrait" by Gertrude Stein. Indianapolis & New York: Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., 1962 (Dual biography of the Cone sisters, pioneer Baltimore collectors of modern art and patrons of Matisse, et al)
Any of the four volumes of Mabel Dodge Luhan's autobiographical memoir, Intimate Memories, published in the 1930s, but also available now in paperback. Any one of these would make a good read.
Ray Smith
R.W. Smith Bookseller
