By: Alisa Sun

On June 6th, 2024, art historian John Wilmerding died in Manhattan at the ripe age of 86. James Wilmerding, John Wilmerding’s brother, revealed that the cause of death was complications revolving around congestive heart failure.

John Wilmerding, who played an essential role in giving American art an identity, was a scholar, museum curator and collector. He specialized in raising the value of artists such as Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins and Fitz Henry Lane, as well as increasing their importance in culture. John Wilmerding began his journey in the 1960s, when American art was undervalued. There were few university survey courses in the subject, textbooks or major exhibitions dedicated to American art.

John Wilmerding is also an author, publishing at least 20 books on American art, including the acclaimed “American Masterpieces: Singular Expressions of National Genius.” His accomplishments do not stop there, seeing that from 1983 to 1988, John Wilmerding was the deputy director for the National Gallery of Art, where he also generously donated a plethora of his art pieces painted by various 19th- and 20th-century American painters.

“It is easy enough to claim that someone’s contributions are incomparable, but in John’s case it is true,” said James Steward, the Nancy A. Nasher-David J. Haemisegger, Class of 1976, Director of the Princeton University Art Museum. It’s easy to see that John Wilmerding’s efforts are now recognized by many, and his death is grieved. “I can think of no one who has done so much for American art both historic and modern, and for American museums, with as much wit, wisdom, and quiet good grace,” Steward said.

Without a doubt, the world will miss the man that played a crucial role in the recognition of American Art.

Sources:
“John Wilmerding, Professor of Art and Archaeology, Emeritus, and Monumental Force in American Art, Dies at 86.” Princeton University, The Trustees of Princeton University, 20 June 2024, www.princeton.edu/news/2024/06/20/john-wilmerding-professor-art-and-archaeology-emeritus-and-monumental-force.
Rosenwald, Michael S. “John Wilmerding, Who Helped Give American Art an Identity, Dies at 86.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 June 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/06/14/arts/john-wilmerding-dead.html.