Kirk Varnedoe
Encyclopedia
John Kirk Train Varnedoe (January 18, 1946 – August 15, 2003) was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia and was an American
art historian
and writer, a Professor of the History of Art at the Institute for Advanced Study
, Princeton, and a noted curator of painting and sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art
in New York.
, where he was a member of The Kappa Alpha Society.
After his years at Williams, he went to Paris, where he became expert on Auguste Rodin
's drawings, and fell in love with French culture and civilization. He returned to America and particularly to New York, where he married the artist Elyn Zimmerman, and taught art history, first at Columbia University
, and then at New York University's Institute of Fine Arts.
He co-curated, with William Rubin, the exhibition "Primitivism: Affinity Between The Tribal and The Modern" at the Museum of Modern Art in 1984, the same year that he won a MacArthur Fellowship. In 1988, he became the Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art
, where his exhibitions included "High And Low: Modern Art and Popular Culture" (co-directed with the writer Adam Gopnik
) as well as retrospectives of the work of Cy Twombly
, Jasper Johns
and Jackson Pollock
.
He was famous as one of the most eloquent public speakers of his time, and he gave many lectures and lecture series, including the Slade Lectures at Oxford
and the Mellon Lectures at the National Gallery of Art
in Washington, D.C. These last, his final lecture series, were published in 2006 by Princeton University Press
under the title of Pictures of Nothing.
Varnedoe died of cancer in 2003. Adam Gopnik, one of his graduate school proteges in the mid-1980s, wrote a tribute in the New Yorker in 2004.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
art historian
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...
and writer, a Professor of the History of Art at the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
, Princeton, and a noted curator of painting and sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York.
Life
He studied at St. Andrew's School and Williams CollegeWilliams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
, where he was a member of The Kappa Alpha Society.
After his years at Williams, he went to Paris, where he became expert on Auguste Rodin
Auguste Rodin
François-Auguste-René Rodin , known as Auguste Rodin , was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past...
's drawings, and fell in love with French culture and civilization. He returned to America and particularly to New York, where he married the artist Elyn Zimmerman, and taught art history, first 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...
, and then at New York University's Institute of Fine Arts.
He co-curated, with William Rubin, the exhibition "Primitivism: Affinity Between The Tribal and The Modern" at the Museum of Modern Art in 1984, the same year that he won a MacArthur Fellowship. In 1988, he became the Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, where his exhibitions included "High And Low: Modern Art and Popular Culture" (co-directed with the writer Adam Gopnik
Adam Gopnik
Adam Gopnik, is an American writer, essayist and commentator. He is best known as a staff writer for The New Yorker—to which he has contributed non-fiction, fiction, memoir and criticism—and as the author of the essay collection Paris to the Moon, an account of five years that Gopnik, his wife...
) as well as retrospectives of the work of Cy Twombly
Cy Twombly
Edwin Parker "Cy" Twombly, Jr. was an American artist well known for his large-scale, freely scribbled, calligraphic-style graffiti paintings, on solid fields of mostly gray, tan, or off-white colors...
, Jasper Johns
Jasper Johns
Jasper Johns, Jr. is an American contemporary artist who works primarily in painting and printmaking.-Life:Born in Augusta, Georgia, Jasper Johns spent his early life in Allendale, South Carolina with his paternal grandparents after his parents' marriage failed...
and Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock
Paul Jackson Pollock , known as Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. He was regarded as a mostly reclusive artist. He had a volatile personality, and...
.
He was famous as one of the most eloquent public speakers of his time, and he gave many lectures and lecture series, including the Slade Lectures at Oxford
Slade Professor of Fine Art
The Slade Professorship of Fine Art is the oldest professorship of art at the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and London.-History:The chairs were founded concurrently in 1869 by a bequest from the art collector and philanthropist Felix Slade, with studentships also created in the University of...
and the Mellon Lectures at the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
in Washington, D.C. These last, his final lecture series, were published in 2006 by Princeton University Press
Princeton University Press
-Further reading:* "". Artforum International, 2005.-External links:* * * * *...
under the title of Pictures of Nothing.
Varnedoe died of cancer in 2003. Adam Gopnik, one of his graduate school proteges in the mid-1980s, wrote a tribute in the New Yorker in 2004.
External links
Obituaries- Michael Malone, "Kirk Varnedoe: A Hooligan and a Gentleman"