William H. Gerdts
Encyclopedia
William H. Gerdts is an American
art historian and Professor Emeritus of Art History
at the CUNY Graduate Center
. Dr. Gerdts is the author of over twenty-five books on American art
. An expert in American Impressionism
, he is also well known for his work on nineteenth-century American still life
painting.
. Beginning in 1945 he attended Amherst College
. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts
from Amherst in 1949, Gerdts attended Harvard Law School
, but switched to the Department of Fine Arts. There he earned a master's degree
in 1950 and a Ph.D.
in 1966.
and resident director of the Moses Myers House in Norfolk; Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the Newark Museum
; and Gallery Director at the University of Maryland, College Park
. In 1971 he joined the faculty of Brooklyn College
, and The Graduate Center at CUNY.
He has also taught at the University of Maryland, and has been a visiting professor at Johns Hopkins University
, Rutgers University
, and Washington University. Gerdts received a Guggenheim Fellowship
and a fellowship from the American Philosophical Society
. In 1992 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Amherst College
, and in 1996 Syracuse University
made him an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts.
In 2008-9 Gerdts was Distinguished Lecturer and Senior Advisor for American Art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
.
Gerdts served as Vice President of the Coe Kerr Gallery in New York.
Complementing his career as an academic, he serves on the Art Advisory Council of the International Foundation for Art Research
(IFAR). .
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
art historian and Professor Emeritus of Art History
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
at the CUNY Graduate Center
CUNY Graduate Center
The Graduate Center of the City University of New York brings together graduate education, advanced research, and public programming to midtown Manhattan hosting 4,600 students, 33 doctoral programs, 7 master's programs, and 30 research centers and institutes...
. Dr. Gerdts is the author of over twenty-five books on American art
Visual arts of the United States
American art encompasses the history of painting and visual art in the United States. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, artists primarily painted landscapes and portraits in a realistic style. A parallel development taking shape in rural America was the American craft movement,...
. An expert in American Impressionism
American Impressionism
Impressionism, a style of painting characterized by loose brushwork and vivid colors, was practiced widely among American artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.-An emerging artistic style from Paris:...
, he is also well known for his work on nineteenth-century American still life
Still life
A still life is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural or man-made...
painting.
Education and early life
Gerdts was born in Jersey City, New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Beginning in 1945 he attended Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Amherst in 1949, Gerdts attended Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, but switched to the Department of Fine Arts. There he earned a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in 1950 and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1966.
Career
Gerdts' professional positions have included that of Curator of Art at the Norfolk MuseumChrysler Museum of Art
The Chrysler Museum of Art is an art museum in the Ghent district of Norfolk, Virginia. The museum was originally founded in 1933 as the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences. In 1971, automotive heir, Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. , donated most of his extensive collection to the museum...
and resident director of the Moses Myers House in Norfolk; Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the Newark Museum
Newark Museum
The Newark Museum is the largest museum in New Jersey, USA. It holds fine collections of American art, decorative arts, contemporary art, and arts of Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the ancient world...
; and Gallery Director at the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. In 1971 he joined the faculty of Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
, and The Graduate Center at CUNY.
He has also taught at the University of Maryland, and has been a visiting professor at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
, and Washington University. Gerdts received a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
and a fellowship from the American Philosophical Society
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
. In 1992 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, and in 1996 Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
made him an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts.
In 2008-9 Gerdts was Distinguished Lecturer and Senior Advisor for American Art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
.
Gerdts served as Vice President of the Coe Kerr Gallery in New York.
Complementing his career as an academic, he serves on the Art Advisory Council of the International Foundation for Art Research
International Foundation for Art Research
International Foundation for Art Research is a non-profit organization which was established to channel and coordinate scholarly and technical information about works of art. IFAR provides an administrative and legal framework within which experts can express their objective opinions...
(IFAR). .
Selected works
Gerdts' published writings encompass 342 works in 443 publications in 6 languages and 24,892 library holdings.- 1997 — The Color of Modernism: The American Fauves. Hollis Taggert Gallery.
- 1994 — Impressionist New York. Abbeville Press.
- 1990 — Art Across America. Two Centuries of Regional Painting: 1710-1920, 3 vols. Abbeville Press.
- 1987 — The Art of Henry Inman. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.
- 1984 — American Impressionism. Abbeville Press.
- 1981 — Painters of the Humble Truth: Masterpieces of American Still Life, 1801-1930. University of Missouri Press.
- 1973 — American Neo-Classic Sculpture: The Marble Resurrection. Viking Press.
External links
- Faculty: William H. Gerdts. CUNY Graduate CenterCUNY Graduate CenterThe Graduate Center of the City University of New York brings together graduate education, advanced research, and public programming to midtown Manhattan hosting 4,600 students, 33 doctoral programs, 7 master's programs, and 30 research centers and institutes...
- Gerdts, William.
- A Conversation with William H. Gerdts, National Endowment for the Humanities.
- Books by William H. Gerdts.
- Amherst College alumni