Sherman Lee
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Sherman Emory Lee (1918–2008) was an American academic, writer, art historian, and expert on Asian art. He was Director of the Cleveland Museum of Art from 1958 to 1983.[1]
Lee earned his B.A. and M.A. at American University in Washington, D.C. He was awarded his Ph.D. at Western Reserve University in 1941.[2]
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[edit] Career
In 1941, Lee was named Curator of Far Eastern Art at the Detroit Institute of Arts.[2] His museum career was interrupted by military service in World War II.[1]
He returned to the United States in 1948. He was the Associate Director of the Seattle Art Museum and he taught at the University of Washington.[2]
In 1952, Lee began work at the Cleveland Museum of Art as Chief Curator of Oriental Art. He was named Director in 1958.[1]
[edit] World War II
Lieutenant Sherman Lee was activated from the United States Naval Reserve during World War II. His naval career took a turn when he was transferred in 1946 to Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) in Japan.[2] When he was discharged from the military, he continued working as a civilian in Tokyo.[1] From 1946 to 1948, he was a civilian adviser to the staff of Gen. Douglas MacArthur (Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, also known by the acronym SCAP) on the cataloging, preserving and protection of Japanese artworks.[3] Among those serving with Lee at SCAP headquarters in Tokyo were Patrick Lennox Tierney[4] and Laurence Sickman.[5]
[edit] Legacy
According to Philippe de Montebello, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Sherman Lee "carried a lot of weight in the community of museum directors. He bought in all fields, his own particularly brilliantly, but in many different fields. He really transformed the Cleveland museum from a regional museum to a major global museum."[1]
[edit] Honors
- Order of the Sacred Treasure, Japan.[2]
- Légion d'honneur, France.[2]
- Charles Lang Freer medal, 1983.[6]
[edit] Selected works
In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Sherman Lee, OCLC/WorldCat encompasses roughly 100+ works in 300+ publications in 8 languages and 14,000+ library holdings.[7]
- Chinese Landscape Painting (1954)
- Japanese Decorative Style (1961)
- A History of Far Eastern Art (1964)
- Ancient Cambodian Sculpture (1969)
- The Colors of Ink: Chinese Paintings and Related Ceramics from the Cleveland Museum of Art (1974)
- The Genius of Japanese Design (1981)
- Reflections of Reality in Japanese Art (1983)
- Past, Present, East and West (1983)
[edit] See also
- Roberts Commission
- Nazi Plunder
- Rescuing Da Vinci
- The Rape of Europa
- Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e Weber, Bruce. "Sherman Lee, Who Led Cleveland Museum, Dies at 90," New York Times. July 11, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f Monuments Men Foundation: Monuments Men> Lee, Sherman E.
- ^ Kappes, John. "Sherman Lee, who led the Cleveland Museum of Art to global renown, dead at 90," The Plain Dealer (Cleveland). July 9, 2008.
- ^ Consulate General of Japan, Los Angeles: Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon (3rd class).
- ^ Monuments Men Foundation: Monuments Men> Sickman, Maj. Laurence
- ^ Freer Gallery of Art. (1998). Tenth Presentation of the Charles Lang Freer Medal, Sherman E. Lee.
- ^ WorldCat Identities: Lee, Sherman E.
[edit] References
- American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas. (1946). Report. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 185537904
- Lee, Sherman E. (1997). "My Work in Japan: Arts and Monuments 1946-48," in The Confusion Era: Art and Culture of Japan during the Allied Occupation 1945-52, ed. Mark Sandler. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution.
- Nicholas, Lynn H. (1995). The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe’s Teasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War. New York: Vintage Books. 10-ISBN 0-679-75686-8; 13-ISBN 978-0-679-75686-6; OCLC 32531154
- U.S. Department of State. Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) [NB. This is a publication of the State Department that serves as a key finding aid because the documents selected for printing include the source file designation.]
- __________________. (1944). "Interest of the United States in measures for the protection and salvage of artistic and historic monuments in war areas," FRUS. (Vol. II, pp. 1031–1068.
- __________________. (1945). "Interest of the United States in measures for the protection and salvage of artistic and historic monuments in war areas," FRUS. (Vol. II, pp. 933–957.
[edit] External links
- PBS (Oregon Public Broadcasting): "The Rape of Europa.", 2006 film, aired November 24, 2008
- California Digital Library (CDL): Ruth and Sherman Lee Institute for Japanese Art Collection
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