Ernst J. Grube
Encyclopedia
Ernst J. Grube was a German historian of Islamic art and the first curator of the Islamic collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
.
. In 1955 Grube obtained a doctorate from the Freie Universität Berlin. He obtained a position in the Arts Library of the Staatliche Museen in Berlin, subsequently becoming assistant to Ernst Kühnel, curator of the Islamic collection and one of the first to rank Islamic art on an equal basis with classical and Western art. Under Kühnel, Grube's interest in Medieval art broadened to encompass Islamic art, which occupied him for the rest of his life during which he became recognized as one of the leading world authorities. In 1958 Grube obtained a one year fellowship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
, directed at that time by James J. Rorimer. He remained there until 1969, with an official appointment in 1962 in the Islamic department, of which he became the first curator in 1965 and where he was encouraged to build the collection. Grube held a simultaneous teaching appointment as Adjunt Professor of Islamic Art at Columbia University
, In 1968 was appointed Professor of Islamic and Far Eastern art at Hunter College
in the City University of New York
,
In 1959 Grube married Alberta Fabris in Verona
, Italy
. In 1972 he moved to Italy, first teaching in Padua and Naples, before being appointed as Professor of Islamic art at the University of Venice
where he remained from 1977 to 1988. From 1972 to 1978 he served as a member of the Italian Archaeological Mission to Iran
. On his retirement in 1988, he moved to London with his second wife, the art historian Eleanor Sims, an expert on Persian painting. In London he continued to publish extensively on Islamic art, acting also as editor of a journal he cofounded with Sims.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
.
Career
Born in Austria to German parents, Grube returned to Germany in 1933. He attended the Schiller Gymnasium in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. In 1955 Grube obtained a doctorate from the Freie Universität Berlin. He obtained a position in the Arts Library of the Staatliche Museen in Berlin, subsequently becoming assistant to Ernst Kühnel, curator of the Islamic collection and one of the first to rank Islamic art on an equal basis with classical and Western art. Under Kühnel, Grube's interest in Medieval art broadened to encompass Islamic art, which occupied him for the rest of his life during which he became recognized as one of the leading world authorities. In 1958 Grube obtained a one year fellowship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, directed at that time by James J. Rorimer. He remained there until 1969, with an official appointment in 1962 in the Islamic department, of which he became the first curator in 1965 and where he was encouraged to build the collection. Grube held a simultaneous teaching appointment as Adjunt Professor of Islamic Art at 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 1968 was appointed Professor of Islamic and Far Eastern art at Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
in the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
,
In 1959 Grube married Alberta Fabris in Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. In 1972 he moved to Italy, first teaching in Padua and Naples, before being appointed as Professor of Islamic art at the University of Venice
University of Venice
Ca' Foscari University is a university in Venice, northern Italy. It was founded in 1868 as the first Italian business college. The main building of the University, Ca’ Foscari Palace, is placed in a strategic position on the bend of the Grand Canal, in the heart of the city...
where he remained from 1977 to 1988. From 1972 to 1978 he served as a member of the Italian Archaeological Mission to Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. On his retirement in 1988, he moved to London with his second wife, the art historian Eleanor Sims, an expert on Persian painting. In London he continued to publish extensively on Islamic art, acting also as editor of a journal he cofounded with Sims.
Selected publications
- Muslim Miniature Paintings from the XIII to XIX Century from Collections in the United States and Canada, 1962.
- The World of Islam, 1966.
- The Classical Style in Islamic Painting, 1968.
- Islamic Pottery of the 8th to the 15th Century in the Keir Collection, 1976.
- Architecture of the Islamic World: Its History and Social Meaning (with G. Michell), 1984.
- A Mirror for Princes from India : Illustrated Versions of the Kalilah Wa. 1992.
- Studies in Islamic Painting, 1995.
- Peerless images: Persian painting and its sources (with B. Marshak and E. Sims), 2002,
- Islamic Painting From American Collections, 2011.