berenson played a crucial role in bringing authentic works by raphael to america. the first raphael collector was a woman. isabella stewart gardner of boston brought together one of the finest collections of old master paintings in america. from her father and husband she inherited two fortunes and traveled extensively abroad. she was deeply influenced by what she saw. in the outskirts of boston, she built fenway court, inspired by venetian palazzos she had visited. she placed her works of art in settings meant to evoke their original environme. isabella gardner identified with isabella d'este, the great patron of the arts in the renaissance, whom she saw as her precursor. like isabella d'este's, mrs. gardner's ambition was to obtain a raphael for her collection. the kind of raphael she wanted was, naturally, a madonna. the one she coveted was the so-called "small cowper madonna," then in an english private collection. berenson said he moved heaven and earth to get the painting for her, but was ver successful. mrs. gardner had to be satisfied instead with a portrai

on berenson's recommendation, kress bought the portrait from a european museum. today, it is generally accepted as a work by the master's hand. it was not only nostalgia for the past which led american collectors to pursue raphael, nor was it merely rivalry with each other. these collectors shared a sense of cultural responsibility. the raphaels, once in private hands, are now all in public museums where they can be seen and enjoyed by the american people. ( music ) ( music ) narrator: the east buiing of the national gallery of art in washing d.c.- built to relieve the heavily- burdened facilities of the original gallery, to house temporary exhibitions, and to serve as a center for advanced study in the visual arts. within these walls, visitors to our nation's capital are drawn in to a very special place where monumental accomplishments of modern masters await discovery. built on a trapezoidal pl of land adjoining the original gallery, the east building is of a unique and radical design, utilizing triangular shapes with large interior spaces. it was a collaborati

. >> narrator: brad berenson was a member of the conservative federalist society. one day, he and his associates would help run the bush administration. >> the conservatives on the harvard law school campus at that time were severely outnumbered. >> narrator: inside the toxic environment of the law review, obama's affinity for the politically conservative students surprised his black associates. >> i don't know why at the time he was able to communicate so well with them, even spend social time with them, which was not something i would ever have done. >> narrator: no african-american had ever been president of the law review. in his second year, obama won the job. >> although i'm honored and i think people can say that my election symbolizes some progress, at least within the small confines of the legal community, i think it's real important to keep the focus on the broader world out there and see that for a lot of kids, the doors that have been opened to me aren't open to them. >> narrator: the african-american editors were ecstatic. >> i think a lot of the minor