Albert Boime
Encyclopedia
Albert Boime was a scholar and author on art history who was a professor of art history at the University of California, Los Angeles
for three decades, until his death.
. He earned a bachelor’s degree in art history from University of California, Los Angeles
in 1961 after completing service in the United States Army
. He followed up in the field with a master's and a doctorate from Columbia University
in 1963 and 1968 respectively. He was a professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook from 1968 until 1972, when he left to teach at the State University of New York at Binghamton, remaining there until 1978. He joined the faculty of UCLA in 1979.
His first book, The Academy and French Painting in the Nineteenth Century, published in 1971 by Phaidon Press
, examined the unintended role of the conservative Académie des Beaux-Arts
in the development of 19th-century painters. In 1974, art critic and commentator Hilton Kramer
of The New York Times
called the book "the indispensable text" for a reconsideration of the merits of the Salon painters, as the book demonstrated the web of connections in the cultural and institutions of the time that affected artistic tastes and aspirations of that time.
His book series, The Social History of Modern Art, analyzed French art
from the mid-18th century to the end of the 19th century, making connections between the art and subject matter to historical events at the time, such as the French Revolution
and the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte. The four-volume, 3,000-page series, published over a two-decade period by the University of Chicago Press
, includes Art in an Age of Revolution, 1750–1800 (1987); Art in an Age of Bonapartism, 1800–1815 (1990); Art in an Age of Counterrevolution, 1815–1848 (2004); and Art in an Age of Civil Struggle, 1848–1871 (2007).
's The Starry Night
by Boime convinced him that the images in the painting's night sky were not a fanciful artwork, but was the result of Van Gogh's observations of the sky from the window of the asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
at 4 a.m. on June 19, 1889, the day he wrote his brother that he had completed the painting. In a 1985 lecture to the American Astronomical Society
, Boime compared the positions of the moon and Venus that night and showed that they corresponded to the positions of the celestial objects in the painting, noting that the scene "tallies with astronomical facts at the time the painting was executed."
.
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
for three decades, until his death.
Early life
Albert Isaac Boime was born on March 17, 1933 in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. He earned a bachelor’s degree in art history from University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
in 1961 after completing service in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. He followed up in the field with a master's and a doctorate from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1963 and 1968 respectively. He was a professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook from 1968 until 1972, when he left to teach at the State University of New York at Binghamton, remaining there until 1978. He joined the faculty of UCLA in 1979.
Writings
Boime wrote some 20 books of art history, focusing not only on style and form, but using a Marxist and psychoanalytic analysis of the social and political contexts of art, examining how artworks are representations of the class, economic, power and social structures and racial attitudes that exist at their creation.His first book, The Academy and French Painting in the Nineteenth Century, published in 1971 by Phaidon Press
Phaidon Press
Phaidon Press is a British publisher of books on the visual arts, including art, architecture, photography, and design worldwide.As of 2009, Phaidon's headquarters are in London, UK, though they were in Oxford for many years, with offices in New York City, Paris, Berlin, Milan, and Tokyo...
, examined the unintended role of the conservative Académie des Beaux-Arts
Académie des beaux-arts
The Académie des Beaux-Arts is a French learned society. It is one of the five academies of the Institut de France.It was created in 1795 as the merger of the:* Académie de peinture et de sculpture...
in the development of 19th-century painters. In 1974, art critic and commentator Hilton Kramer
Hilton Kramer
Hilton Kramer is a U.S. art critic and cultural commentator.Kramer was educated at Syracuse University, Columbia University, Harvard University, Indiana University and the New School for Social Research. He worked as the editor of Arts Magazine, art critic for The Nation, and from 1965 to 1982,...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called the book "the indispensable text" for a reconsideration of the merits of the Salon painters, as the book demonstrated the web of connections in the cultural and institutions of the time that affected artistic tastes and aspirations of that time.
His book series, The Social History of Modern Art, analyzed French art
French art
French art consists of the visual and plastic arts originating from the geographical area of France...
from the mid-18th century to the end of the 19th century, making connections between the art and subject matter to historical events at the time, such as the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte. The four-volume, 3,000-page series, published over a two-decade period by the University of Chicago Press
University of Chicago Press
The University of Chicago Press is the largest university press in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including The Chicago Manual of Style, dozens of academic journals, including Critical Inquiry, and a wide array of...
, includes Art in an Age of Revolution, 1750–1800 (1987); Art in an Age of Bonapartism, 1800–1815 (1990); Art in an Age of Counterrevolution, 1815–1848 (2004); and Art in an Age of Civil Struggle, 1848–1871 (2007).
The Starry Night painting
An analysis of Vincent van GoghVincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
's The Starry Night
The Starry Night
The Starry Night is a painting by Dutch post-impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh. The painting depicts the view outside his sanitarium room window at night, although it was painted from memory during the day. Since 1941 it has been in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New...
by Boime convinced him that the images in the painting's night sky were not a fanciful artwork, but was the result of Van Gogh's observations of the sky from the window of the asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Geography:...
at 4 a.m. on June 19, 1889, the day he wrote his brother that he had completed the painting. In a 1985 lecture to the American Astronomical Society
American Astronomical Society
The American Astronomical Society is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC...
, Boime compared the positions of the moon and Venus that night and showed that they corresponded to the positions of the celestial objects in the painting, noting that the scene "tallies with astronomical facts at the time the painting was executed."
Death
A longtime resident of Los Angeles, Boime died at age 75 in his home there on October 18, 2008 of the bone marrow disorder myelofibrosisMyelofibrosis
Myelofibrosis, also known as myeloid metaplasia, chronic idiopathic myelofibrosis, osteomyelofibrosis and primary myelofibrosis is a disorder of the bone marrow...
.
External links
- Albert I. Boime: Publications and Papers, University of California, Los AngelesUniversity of California, Los AngelesThe University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...