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Eve Borsook

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Eve Borsook
Born3 October 1929
Toronto, Canada
NationalityAmerican
OccupationArt historian
Academic background
Alma materCourtauld Institute of Art
Thesis (1956)
Academic work
InstitutionsVilla I Tatti, Florence, Italy

Eve Borsook (born 3 October 1929) is an American art historian, teacher and author, specialising in murals (both wall paintings and mosaics). Her other interests include the history of glass in relation to mosaics, 16th century Florentine ceremonial decoration, and Italian cloister art.[1][2]

Early life and education

Borsook was born in Toronto, Canada. Her parents were the English-born biochemist Henry Borsook (1897-1984)[3] and the Austrian-born Lisl (née Hummel).[4] Henry's hobby was art history, which may well have been an early influence on his daughter, for Eve Borsook received a BA in the History of Art from Vassar College, New York in 1949. She went on to the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, completing her MA in 1952 with a dissertation on the early Baroque painter Carlo Saraceni (her supervisor was the German art historian, Walter Friedlander). While pursuing her graduate studies, Borsook was also working for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She then went on to London for her doctoral research on Italian mural painting at the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, where her supervisor was the art historian Johannes Wilde. At this time she also had the benefit of a Fulbright scholarship which allowed her to study in Italy. Her PhD thesis, 'Principles of mural decoration in fourteenth century Tuscan fresco cycles', completed in 1956, was published in revised form in 1960.

Professional work

During her early days of research in Italy, Borsook made some long-term contacts which would shape her future career. In particular, she worked with a group of mural conservators in Florence led by Leonetto Tintori (1908-2000), and this relationship was to continue for more than thirty years, resulting in a number of publications. The disastrous flood in Florence in 1966 was another important milestone, which involved her in working for the CRIA (Committee to Rescue Italian Art),[5] an American emergency aid initiative which established its headquarters at the Villa I Tatti, former home of the American art critic and connoisseur Bernard Berenson (1865–1959). From here she collaborated and liaised with many visiting conservators who had arrived in Florence to take part in the restoration work, as well as with local Florentine conservation experts and museum staff. One particularly memorable task was the retrieval and drying out of around 30,000 wet glass negatives.[6]

Much of Borsook's later work has also taken place at the Villa I Tatti (the Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies): she was appointed research associate there (1981-1989), then senior research associate (2003-2015), and is now senior research associate emeritus.[1] She has also taught as a visiting professor at the New York University Institute of Fine Arts, as well as other institutes in the USA, Italy and Australia.[1] She declined a Samuel H. Kress Professorship at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC as the fellowship would have involved a year's absence from her work in Italy.[2]

Photographs contributed by Borsook to the Conway Library are currently being digitised by the Courtauld Institute of Art as part of the Courtauld Connects project.[7][8]

In 1999 more than 20 art historians provided essays for the publication of a book titled Mosaics of friendship: studies in art and history for Eve Borsook as a 70th birthday tribute to Borsook.[9][10]

Publications

Books

The mural painters of Tuscany, from Cimabue to Andrea del Sarto, with 120 illustrations, London: Phaidon Press, 1960.[11]

Decor in Florence for the entry of Charles VIII of France, Florence, 1961.[12]

Art and politics at the Medici court. I: The funeral of Cosimo I de' Medici, Florence, 1965.[13]

The companion guide to Florence, London: Collins, 1966.[14]

Ambrogio Lorenzetti, trans. Piero Bertolucci, Florence: Sadea-Sansoni, 1966.[15]

Drawings for the funeral of Cosimo I de' Medici, Florence, 1966.[16]

Art and politics at the Medici court. II: The baptism of Filippo de' Medici in 1577, Florence, 1967.[17]

Maestro Francesco and a portrait of the Signoria of Florence, Berlin: De Gruyter, 1968.[18]

Art and politics at the Medici court : III: Funeral decor for Philip II of Spain, circa 1968.[19]

Art and politics at the Medici Court. IV: Funeral decor for Henry IV of France, Florence, 1969.[20]

Documents for Filippo Strozzi's Chapel in Santa Maria Novella and other related papers, London, 1970.[21]

The travels of Bernardo Michelozzi and Bonsignore Bonsignori in the Levant (1497-98), London: 1973.[22]

Fra Filippo Lippi and the murals for Prato Cathedral, Florence, 1975.[23]

Cults and imagery at Sant'Ambrogio in Florence, Florence, 1981.[24]

A Florentine Scrittoio for Diomede Carafa, New York: Abrams, 1981.[25]

Jacopo di Cione and the guild hall of the Judges and Notaries in Florence, London, 1982.[26]

Art and business in Renaissance Florence and Venice, Weinheim: Verlag Chemie, 1983.[27]

Effects of technical developments on the history of Italian mural painting of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, Bologna: Edizioni Clueb, 1983.[28]

Technical innovation and the development of Raphael's style in Rome, Ottawa, 1986.[29]

Messages in mosaic: the royal programmes of Norman Sicily (1130-1187), Oxford: Clarendon Press, New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.[30]

Problems of style and technique in the Sistine Chapel, Vienna: 1991.[31]

La sauvegarde des peintures murales en Italie de 1960 à 1993: un bilan, Paris: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1995.[32]

Rhetoric or reality: mosaics as expressions of a metaphysical idea, Florence, 2000.[33]

L'oro dei poveri: la paglia nell'arredo liturgico e nelle immagini devozionali dell'Italia centrale fra il 1670 e il 1870, Florence: Polistampa, 2000.[34]

The power of illusion: fictive tombs in Santa Maria del Fiore, Fiesole: Cadmo, 2001.[35]

Collected writings, 1954-2004, Florence, 2005.[36]

Articles (selection)

'Documents concerning the Artistic Associates of Santa Maria della Scala in Rome', The Burlington Magazine (ed. Benedict Nicolson), Vol.96, pp.270-275, 1954.[37]

'The frescoes at San Leonardo al Lago', The Burlington Magazine (ed. Benedict Nicolson), Vol. 98, pp.351-358, 1956.[38]

'A note on Masaccio in Pisa', The Burlington Magazine (ed. Benedict Nicolson), Vol.103, pp.212-215, 1961.[39]

'The great age of fresco', The Burlington Magazine, Vol.111, pp.303-304, 1969.[40]

'Addendum to the funeral of Philip II', Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz, Max-Planck-Institut, pp.247-250, 1969.[41]

'The portrait of Carlo de' Medici: a correction', Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz, Max-Planck-Institut, 1975.[42]

'Castagno', The Burlington Magazine, pp.839-840, 1980.[43]

Writing with co-authors (selection)

Leonetto Tintori and Eve Borsook, Giotto: the Peruzzi Chapel, with a preface by Ugo Procacci and photographs by Nadir Tronci, New York: H.N. Abrams, 1965.[44]

Johannes Offerhaus and Eve Borsook, Francesco Sassetti and Ghirlandaio at Santa Trinità, Florence: history and legend in a Renaissance chapel, Doornspijk: Davaco Publishers, 1981.[45]

Eve Borsook and Fiorella Gioffredi Superbi, Tecnica e stile: esempi di pittura murale del Rinascimento italiano, Milan: Silvana, 1986.[46]

Eve Borsook and Fiorella Gioffredi Superbi, Italian altarpieces 1250-1550: function and design, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994.[47]

Eve Borsook, Fiorella Gioffredi Superbi and Giovanni Pagliarulo, Medieval mosaics: light, color, materials, Milan: Silvana Editoriale, 2000.[48]

Eve Borsook, Caroline Elam and Louis A. Waldman, Craig Hugh Smyth: in memoriam, Florence: L.S. Olschki, 2009.[49]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Eve Borsook | I Tatti | The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies". itatti.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  2. ^ a b "Borsook, Eve". Dictionary of Art Historians. 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2020-07-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "Henry Borsook from Tract 429 Pasadena in 1940 Census District 19-489". www.archives.com. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  4. ^ "Lish Borsook from Tract 429 Pasadena in 1940 Census District 19-489". www.archives.com. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  5. ^ "CRIA - Committee to Rescue Italian Art | Role of I Tatti · the committee". cria.itatti.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  6. ^ Conway, Paul; Conway, Martha O'Hara (2018). "Flood in Florence, 1966: A Fifty-Year Retrospective". Maize Books. doi:10.3998/mpub.9310956.
  7. ^ "Who made the Conway Library?". Digital Media. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  8. ^ "A&A | Search Results". artandarchitecture.org.uk. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  9. ^ Francisci, Ornella; Borsook, Eve (1999). Mosaics of friendship: studies in art and history for Eve Borsook. Firenze: Centro Di. ISBN 978-88-7038-338-6. OCLC 468956471.
  10. ^ "9788870383386: Mosaics of Friendship: Studies in Art and History for Eve Borsook - AbeBooks - Tintori, Leonetto: 8870383385". www.abebooks.com. Retrieved 2020-07-25.
  11. ^ Borsook, Eve (1960). The mural painters of Tuscany, from Cimabue to Andrea del Sarto. With 120 illus. London: Phaidon Press. OCLC 973461045.
  12. ^ Borsook, Eve (1961). Decor in Florence for the entry of Charles VIII of France. Florenz: publisher not identified. OCLC 84602931.
  13. ^ Borsook, Eve (1965). Art and politics at the Medici court. I I. Florence. OCLC 82690008.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  14. ^ Borsook, Eve (1966). The Companion guide to Florence. With plates. OCLC 1174059568.
  15. ^ Borsook, Eve (1966). Ambrogio Lorenzetti (in Italian). Firenze: Sadea-Sansoni. OCLC 489704951.
  16. ^ Borsook, Eve (1966). Drawings for the funeral of Cosimo I de' Medici. Florence. OCLC 79910394.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  17. ^ Borsook, Eve (1967). Art and politics at the Medici court. II II. Florence. OCLC 84185817.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  18. ^ Borsook, Eve (1968). Maestro Francesco and a portrait of the Signoria of Florence. Berlin: De Gruyter. OCLC 81117097.
  19. ^ Borsook, Eve (c. 1968). Art and politics at the Medici court: 3: funeral decor for Philip II of Spain. OCLC 1006060221.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  20. ^ Borsook, Eve (1969). Art and politics at the Medici Court. IV: Funeral decor for Henry IV of France. Florenz: s.n. OCLC 469995788.
  21. ^ Borsook, Eve (1970). Documents for Filippo Strozzi's Chapel in Santa Maria Novella and other related papers -I. London. OCLC 78003599.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  22. ^ Borsook, Eve; Bonsignori, Bonsignore; Michelozzi, Bernardo (1973). The travels of Bernardo Michelozzi and Bonsignore Bonsignori in the Levant (1497-98). London. OCLC 83074525.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  23. ^ Borsook, Eve (1975). Fra Filippo Lippi and the murals for Prato Cathedral. Firenze, Italy: Kunsthistorisches Institut. OCLC 19541926.
  24. ^ Borsook, Eve (1981). Cults and imagery at Sant'Ambrogio in Florence (in Italian). Florence. OCLC 79710354.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  25. ^ Borsook, Eve (1981). A florentine scrittoio for Diomede Carafa. New York: Abrams. OCLC 886326138.
  26. ^ Borsook, Eve (1982). Jacopo di Cione and the guild hall of the Judges and Notaries in Florence. London. OCLC 78839585.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  27. ^ Borsook, Eve (1983). Art and business in Renaissance Florence and Venice. Weinheim: Verlag Chemie. OCLC 78637346.
  28. ^ Borsook, Eve (1983). Effects of technical developments on the history of Italian mural painting of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Bologna: Edizioni Clueb. OCLC 78928708.
  29. ^ Borsook, Eve (1986). Technical innovation and the development of Raphael's style in Rome. OCLC 81063684.
  30. ^ Borsook, Eve (1988). Messages in mosaic: the royal programmes of Norman Sicily, 1130-1187. Oxford [Oxfordshire]; New York: Clarendon Press ; Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-817504-9. OCLC 282010430.
  31. ^ Borsook, Eve (1991). Problems of style and technique in the Sistine Chapel. OCLC 82689920.
  32. ^ Borsook, Eve (1995). La sauvegarde des peintures murales en Italie de 1960 à 1993: un bilan (in French). Paris: Centre Mational de la Recherche Scientifique. OCLC 464173948.
  33. ^ Borsook, Eve (2000). Rhetoric or reality: mosaics as expressions of a metaphysical idea. Florenz. OCLC 464207118.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  34. ^ Borsook, Eve (2000). L'oro dei poveri: la paglia nell'arredo liturgico e nelle immagini devozionali dell'Italia centrale fra il 1670 e il 1870 (in Italian). Firenze: Polistampa. ISBN 978-88-8304-185-3. OCLC 797798305.
  35. ^ Borsook, Eve (2001). The power of illusion: fictive tombs in Santa Maria del Fiore. Fiesole: Cadmo. OCLC 551115310.
  36. ^ "Collected writings, 1954-2004 (Book, 2005) [WorldCat.org]". www.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  37. ^ Borsook, Eve (1954). "Documents concerning the Artistic Associates of Santa Maria della Scala in Rome". Burlington magazine / ed. Benedict Nicolson.: 270–275. ISSN 0007-6287. OCLC 888561975.
  38. ^ Borsook, Eve (1956). "The frescoes at San Leonardo al Lago". Burlington magazine / ed. Benedict Nicolson. 981956: 351–358. ISSN 0007-6287. OCLC 887178916.
  39. ^ Borsook, Eve (1961). "A note on Masaccio in Pisa". Burlington magazine / ed. Benedict Nicolson.: 212–215. ISSN 0007-6287. OCLC 888561949.
  40. ^ Borsook, Eve (1969). "The Great Age of Fresco". burlmaga The Burlington Magazine. 111 (794): 303–304. ISSN 0007-6287. OCLC 5548479177.
  41. ^ Borsook, Eve (1969). "Addendum to the funeral of Philip II". Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorischen Institutes in Florenz / Hrsg.: Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz, Max-Planck-Institut.: 247–250. ISSN 0342-1201. OCLC 886750694.
  42. ^ Borsook, Eve (1975). "The portrait of Carlo de' Medici: a correction". Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorischen Institutes in Florenz / Hrsg.: Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz, Max-Planck-Institut. ISSN 0342-1201. OCLC 888561900.
  43. ^ Borsook, Eve (1980). "Castagno". burlmaga The Burlington Magazine. 122 (933): 839–840. ISSN 0007-6287. OCLC 5548456383.
  44. ^ TINTORI, Leonetto; BORDONE, Ambrogiotto di; Borsook, Eve; Procacci, Ugo; TRONCI, Nadir (1965). Giotto: the Peruzzi chapel ... With a preface by Ugo Procacci and photographs by Nadir Tronci. Pp. 209. Harry N. Abrams: New York; Turin printed. OCLC 504140037.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  45. ^ Borsook, Eve; Offerhaus, Johannes (1981). Francesco Sassetti and Ghirlandaio at Santa Trinità, Florence: history and legend in a Renaissance chapel. Doornspijk, Holland: Davaco Publishers. ISBN 978-90-70288-03-7. OCLC 8074839.
  46. ^ Borsook, Eve; Superbi Gioffredi, Fiorella (1986). Tecnica e stile: esempi di pittura murale del Rinascimento italiano. [1]. [1 (in Italian). Milano: Silvana. ISBN 978-88-366-0177-6. OCLC 925890599.
  47. ^ Borsook, Eve; Superbi Gioffredi, Fiorella (1994). Italian altarpieces 1250-1550: function and design. Oxford: Clarendon. ISBN 978-0-19-817223-9. OCLC 797566456.
  48. ^ Borsook, Eve; Gioffredi Superbi, Fiorella; Pagliarulo, Giovanni, eds. (2000). Medieval mosaics: light, color, materials (in Italian). Cinisello Balsamo: SilvanaEditoriale. ISBN 978-88-8215-265-9. OCLC 716661331.
  49. ^ Elam, Caroline; Waldman, Louis A; Smyth, Craig Hugh (2009). Craig Hugh Smyth: in memoriam. Florence: L.S. Olschki. ISBN 978-88-222-5954-7. OCLC 718537756.
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