Article: After 100 years, museum finds room for change.(FEATURES)(ARTS & LEISURE)

Byline: David Hugh Smith Special to The Christian Science Monitor

Before Isabella Stewart Gardner opened her art museum 100 years ago, she exasperated the architect and builders with her exacting specifications and many redesigns.

At one point, Ms. Gardner climbed a ladder and demonstrated to the painters how to achieve the weathered, pinkish color she craved on the courtyard walls.

But what made the Gardner Museum so extraordinary - so audacious, really - was the way Gardner put her collection together. Like a giant mosaic, each piece fitted together in a creative context.

And in the middle of the palace was the centerpiece of ...

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