"B.B."

Bernard Berenson, the most cultivated of men and renowned of art historians, died yesterday after a long illness. "B.B.", as his many friends called him, classified the vast, disorganized material of Florentine drawing and Italian Renaissance painting; he was the Linnaeus of art history.

More important, perhaps, than Berenson's scholarly achievements were his extensive contributions to the education of young scholars. "B.B." opened his villa, "I Tatti," to students who wished to use his enormous library and art collection, and to learn from his brilliant, instructive conversation. For those who have known "B.B.", for those who have experienced his incisive intellect through his numerous writings, or for those who have seen the fruits of Berenson's taste exhibited in major art collections both here and abroad, it will be impossible to forget his personality and achievement.