Paul J. Sachs
Paul J. Sachs | |
---|---|
Charles A. Robinson Jr.) Marjorie Sachs | |
Family | Marcus Goldman (grandfather) Julius Sachs (uncle) Bernard Sachs (uncle) Walter E. Sachs (brother) |
Paul Joseph Sachs (November 24, 1878 – February 18, 1965) was an American investor, businessman and museum director. Sachs served as associate director of the
Biography
Sachs was born to a
As an undergraduate, Sachs collected
Sachs began lecturing in art history from 1916 to 1917 at Wellesley College where he had been appointed "Lecturer in Art." He was made an assistant professor in the Fine Arts department at Harvard in 1917. In 1922, he began his innovative course on museum curatorship titled "Fine Arts 15a: Museum Work and Museum Problems.", dealing with both curatorial and financial aspects of running a museum.[2] He was appointed full professor in 1927. Sachs set about developing a program of museum education, developing students as what he termed the "connoisseur-scholar." One course was commonly called "the Print Course," which featured a seminar-style analysis of prints and drawings drawn largely from Sachs' own personal collection. From 1935 onward, he served regularly as chair of the Fine Arts department.
In 1929, Sachs became one of seven founding members of the Museum of Modern Art and gave it its first drawing, a George Grosz portrait of the artist's mother.[3]
During World War II, Sachs, along with disciple
Personal life and death
In 1904, he married Meta Pollak; they remained married until her death on December 25, 1960.[5] They had three daughters: Elizabeth Pollak Weiss, Celia Robinson Stillwell (married to Charles Alexander Robinson Jr., and after his death to Richard Stillwell[6]), and Marjorie Pickhardt Wilson.[5][7] Sachs died in February 1965.
Legacy
Many of Sachs' students would go on to become leading figures in the fields of museum and art including
Honors
- Elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences: 1922[8]
- Honorary Doctorate from Harvard University: 1942
- Elected member of the American Philosophical Society: 1947[9]
See also
References
- ^ "Portrait of the Artist as a Director". Harvard Magazine. September 2002. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023.
- ISBN 9781599951492.
- ^ "MoMA through Time".
- ^ Edsel, 18–21, 52–55
- ^ a b Sachs, Paul J., 1878–1965. Papers, 1903–2005: A Guide. Harvard Art Museum Archives, Harvard Art Museums, Harvard University.
- ^ "Richard Stillwell Dies; Princeton Archeologist". The New York Times. August 3, 1982. Archived from the original on April 25, 2014.
- ^ Princeton Alumni Weekly, Volume 66. Princeton University. 1965.
- ^ "Paul Joseph Sachs". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved March 13, 2023.