 | George Hersey |
George Hersey, professor of the history of art, and an art and architectural historian with
wide-ranging interests, died at home in New Haven on Oct. 23.
T H I S
In Memoriam: George Hersey
Wrote widely on art history and architecture
Hersey was an authority on Italian Renaissance architecture and sculpture, and
19th-century architecture and art in Europe and America. Over the course of his
career he was fascinated by the poetical and mythical dimensions of artistic
expression, from antiquity to modern times, but the full scope of his research
can not easily be pigeonholed, note colleagues.
Hersey’s 13 books include “Alfonso II and the Artistic Renewal of
Naples 1485-1495,” “The Aragonese Arch at Naples, 1443-1475,” “Pythagorean
Palaces,” “Architecture and Magic in the Italian Renaissance,” “Evolution
of Allure, Sexual Selection from the Medici Venus to the Incredible Hulk,” “The
Lost Meaning of Classical Architecture,” “Speculations on Ornament
from Vitruvius to Venturi” and “Architecture and Geometry in the
Age of the Baroque.”
Toward the end of his career Hersey became fascinated by possibilities opened
up to the visual arts by the computer. His book with Richard Freedman, “Possible
Palladian Villas,” used computer technology to shed fresh light on the
geometric principles underlying Palladio’s designs.
“George was as comfortable talking about Vitruvius as about Venturi, about
Baroque as about Butterfield,” says Edward Cooke, the Charles F. Montgomery
Professor of American Decorative Arts. “While he initially focused upon
the overlooked subject of Neapolitan art and architecture during the Renaissance,
he was above all a broad humanist whose curiosity about the architectural subconscious
led to the exploration of classical, Victorian and modern architecture.”
Cooke adds, “His deep knowledge of the Renaissance texts and his wide-ranging
curiosity in the poetics of built form enabled him to influence profoundly a
generation of art historians and architects.”
George Leonard Hersey was born in Cambridge, Massaschusetts, on Aug. 30, 1927. Following
his graduation from high school in 1945 he entered the merchant marine, where
he helped in ferrying troops home after World War II and spent time as the ship’s
purser. He then joined the U.S. Army, where he advised returning veterans on
their futures, while attending cooking school and learning to play the French
horn. He mastered the latter talent so well that he became a member of the band
sent to play at the Army and Navy General Hospital in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Following the war Hersey earned his B.A. at Harvard University in 1951. He received
his M.F.A. in drama at Yale in 1954, studying set design, He taught for five
years at Bucknell University, where he became increasingly interested in art
history. He returned to Yale in 1959 to earn his M.A. and Ph.D. in art history,
receiving them in 1963 and 1964, respectively.
He began teaching in the Department of the History of Art in 1963 and became
a full professor in 1971, serving until he retired in 1998. He twice served as
director of graduate studies in the history of art department and from 1975 to
1992 was editor of Yale Publications in the History of Art.
In addition to his wife, Jane, Hersey is survived by his children Donald and
James, and three grandchildren, Sam, Rebecca and Margaux.
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Todai-Yale venture to boost Japanese Studies in the U.S.
Yale dedicates $8 million Clean Room
For some infants, mother’s milk can help increase IQ, says study
Engineering lessons get real-world application . . .
ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPS
Mark Ashton appointed the Jesup Professor of Silviculture
Alicia Schmidt Camacho named Sarai Ribicoff Associate Professor
School of Public Health launches new Advanced Professional . . .
Shareholder activist creates fund at Yale center for corporate governance
Yale ceremony to commemorate Veteran’s Day
Procrastination is not an option at Dissertation Boot Camp
Show features Chinese artist’s works of ‘Revolution and Rebirth’
IN MEMORIAM
George Hersey: Wrote widely on art history and architecture
Eugene Waith: Expert on Elizabethan and Jacobean theater
From the United Way: ‘A Tale of Guiding Young Fathers’
Program to look at company developing innovative . . .
Campus Notes
Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News
Bulletin Board|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines
Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home