Richard E. Spear
Encyclopedia
Richard E. Spear is an American art historian and professor who specializes in Italian Baroque painting.
(B.A., 1961) and Princeton University
(Ph.D., 1965). His research and publications have focused on seventeenth-century European art, ranging from a two-volume catalogue raisonné on Domenichino (1581–1641) to studies based on iconographic, psychoanalytic, feminist, and economic methodologies. He taught at Oberlin College
from 1965 until 2000, where he also directed the Allen Memorial Art Museum
(1972–83). He was appointed Distinguished Visiting Professor at George Washington University
in 1983-84 and held the Harn Eminent Scholar Chair at the University of Florida
, Gainesville, in 1997-98. Since 1998, he has been Distinguished Visiting and Affiliated Research Professor at the University of Maryland
, College Park.
Spear’s research on prices paid to painters in seventeenth-century Rome is a searchable online database administered by the Getty Research Institute
. In addition to nearly a hundred articles on Baroque
art (see From Caravaggio to Artemisia: Essays on Painting in Seventeenth-Century Italy and France, pp. 601–06, for a complete bibliography through 2002), he has published studies on the European painting collection in the Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay, India, and written for the Times Literary Supplement, The Artnewspaper, The Washington Post, and The International Herald Tribune. He was Editor-in-Chief of The Art Bulletin from 1985 to 1988.
in 1988. He received many research grants, including a post-doctoral Fulbright to Italy (1966–67), and fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies
(1971–72), the National Endowment for the Humanities
(1980–81), the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts of the National Gallery of Art
in Washington, D.C. (1983–84), the Guggenheim Foundation
(1987–88), and the National Humanities Center
(1992–93). Twice he won a residency at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center (1996, 2007). In 1972 he was awarded the Daria Borghese Gold Medal for the best book of the year dealing with a Roman subject.
Education and academic career
Spear was educated in art history at the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
(B.A., 1961) and Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
(Ph.D., 1965). His research and publications have focused on seventeenth-century European art, ranging from a two-volume catalogue raisonné on Domenichino (1581–1641) to studies based on iconographic, psychoanalytic, feminist, and economic methodologies. He taught at Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
from 1965 until 2000, where he also directed the Allen Memorial Art Museum
Allen Memorial Art Museum
The Allen Memorial Art Museum is located in Oberlin, Ohio and is run by Oberlin College. Founded in 1917, its collection is one of the finest of any college or university museum in the United States, consistently ranking among those of Harvard and Yale...
(1972–83). He was appointed Distinguished Visiting Professor at George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
in 1983-84 and held the Harn Eminent Scholar Chair at the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, Gainesville, in 1997-98. Since 1998, he has been Distinguished Visiting and Affiliated Research Professor at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
, College Park.
Main publications and research
- Caravaggio and his Followers, Cleveland Museum of ArtCleveland Museum of ArtThe Cleveland Museum of Art is an art museum situated in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on Cleveland's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum houses a diverse permanent collection of more than 43,000...
, 1971, rev. ed., Harper & Row, New York, 1975
- Renaissance and Baroque Paintings from the Sciarra and Fiano Collections, The Pennsylvania State University Press and Ugo Bozzi, Rome, 1972
- Domenichino, Yale UniversityYale UniversityYale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
Press, New Haven and London, 1982
- Domenichino, 1581-1641 (exhibition catalogue), Palazzo Venezia, Rome, 1996, pp. 163–69, 368-473
- The "Divine" Guido: Religion, Sex, Money and Art in the World of Guido Reni, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1997
- From Caravaggio to Artemisia: Essays on Painting in Seventeenth-Century Italy and France, The Pindar Press, London, 2002
- Painting for Profit: the Economic Lives of Seventeenth-Century Italian Painters (with Philip Sohm), Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2010
Spear’s research on prices paid to painters in seventeenth-century Rome is a searchable online database administered by the Getty Research Institute
Getty Research Institute
The Getty Research Institute , located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, is "dedicated to furthering knowledge and advancing understanding of the visual arts". A program of the J...
. In addition to nearly a hundred articles on Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
art (see From Caravaggio to Artemisia: Essays on Painting in Seventeenth-Century Italy and France, pp. 601–06, for a complete bibliography through 2002), he has published studies on the European painting collection in the Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay, India, and written for the Times Literary Supplement, The Artnewspaper, The Washington Post, and The International Herald Tribune. He was Editor-in-Chief of The Art Bulletin from 1985 to 1988.
Distinctions and awards
Spear was Art Historian in Residence at the American Academy in RomeAmerican Academy in Rome
The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome.- History :In 1893, a group of American architects, painters and sculptors met regularly while planning the fine arts section of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition...
in 1988. He received many research grants, including a post-doctoral Fulbright to Italy (1966–67), and fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies
American Council of Learned Societies
The American Council of Learned Societies , founded in 1919, is a private nonprofit federation of seventy scholarly organizations.ACLS is best known as a funder of humanities research through fellowships and grants awards. ACLS Fellowships are designed to permit scholars holding the Ph.D...
(1971–72), the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
(1980–81), the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts of 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. (1983–84), the Guggenheim Foundation
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
(1987–88), and the National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center
The National Humanities Center is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities. It is the only major independent institute for advanced study in all fields of the humanities in the United States. The NHC operates as a privately incorporated nonprofit and is not part of any...
(1992–93). Twice he won a residency at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center (1996, 2007). In 1972 he was awarded the Daria Borghese Gold Medal for the best book of the year dealing with a Roman subject.