YALE: A GREAT CONTRIBUTOR TO THE MONUMENTS MEN
(From left to right: Bill Keller, Catherine Roach, and me)
Last Thursday I spoke at Yale University as part of a wonderful presentation to about 400 people held in the Robert L. McNeil Jr., Lecture Hall at the Yale University Art Gallery. I spoke, along with key Monuments Man’s son Bill Keller and Catherine Roach who is completing her doctoral thesis on Deane Keller and his papers. Afterward we attended a wonderful dinner held in our honor by Jock Reynolds, Director of the Yale University Art Gallery, and his magnificent team.
This speaking engagement was all part of the Andrew Ritchie lecture series, named after Monuments Man Andrew Ritchie, a former director of the Yale Art Gallery from 1957 to 1971. Ritchie can be seen in the photo below. He was just one of 11 Monuments Man who served at Yale, a remarkable percentage of the Monuments Man in the field at the time.
The names of the others and their association follows:
Ellis Waterhouse — Yale Center for British Arts Director — 1970 - 1973
S. Lane Faison — Yale University Assistant Professor — 1932 - 1936
Frederick Hartt — Yale University
Harald Ingholdt — Yale University Faculty — 1942 - ?
Deane Keller — Yale University Professor, Portrait Artist — 1930 - 1970
John Marshall Phillips — Yale University Professor — 1932-1953; Yale University Art Gallery Director 1927 - 1947
Gisela Richter — Yale University — 1938
Charles Sawyer — Yale University Director of Division of Arts — 1947 - 1956
Theodore Sizer — Yale University Professor — 1931-1947; Yale University Art Gallery Director — 1927 - 1947
Lamont Moore — Yale University Art Gallery Director, Assistant Director — 1948 - 1957
Andrew Ritchie — Yale University Art Gallery Director 1957 - 1971
(Speaking in the Robert L. McNeil Jr., Lecture Hall at the Yale University Art Gallery)
Speaking engagements such as this are so heartening to me as I always have a chance to honor these heroes, oftentimes among their own constituents and even some of their relatives as happened last night. It never ceases to amaze me how many people, especially in the world of art, do NOT know about these Monuments Men much less the extent of their service during WWll.
To listen to Bill Keller so respectfully and insightfully discuss his father’s experience was a highlight for me. I met many new people who expressed a desire to help our efforts, and had a chance to see one of the great museums in the world at Yale. Of course, the generosity of Paul Mellon, the enormous benefactor to not only Yale but the arts worldwide, are everywhere. Without men such as this, and certainly his father, Andrew Mellon, whose fortune and influence resulted in the creation of our nation’s National Gallery, our world would be a much less beautiful and meaningful place.
Thanks to all at Yale who made our visit such a great experience.
