Kermit S. Champa
Kermit Swiler Champa (August 20, 1939 – July 22, 2004) was an American art historian and educator. A scholar of Impressionism, Champa was the Andrea V. Rosenthal Professor of the History of Art and Architecture at Brown University from 1970 to 2004.
Kermit S. Champa | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kermit Swiler Champa August 20, 1939 Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Died | July 22, 2004 (aged 64) Providence, Rhode Island, United States |
| Spouse | Judith Tolnick |
| Children | 3 |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Yale University Harvard University |
| Thesis | The Genesis of Impressionism (1965) |
| Doctoral advisor | Frederick B. Deknatel |
| Influences | Clement Greenberg |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Art history |
| Sub-discipline | Impressionism |
| Institutions | Brown University |
| Notable students | Olivier Berggruen |
Career
Born in Lancaster to Valentino Anthony and Gladys Swiler, Champa earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Yale University in 1960, where he played trombone. He went on to receive a Doctor of Philosophy in Art History from Harvard University in 1965, where he studied under Frederick B. Deknatel and Clement Greenberg.[1] Champa wrote a doctoral dissertation about the Impressionist period, under Deknatel.[2]
A specialist on Impressionist paintings, Champa first taught at Yale as an Assistant Professor of Art History.[3] He then moved to Brown University in 1970. A year later, he was honored by the Government of Germany with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. In 1974, Champa became a full Professor and was named the Andrea V. Rosenthal Professor of the History of Art and Architecture in 1995. He taught there until death in 2004 from lung cancer.[4]
Selected works
- German Painting of the 19th Century, 1970
- Studies in Early Impressionism, 1973
- Mondrian Studies, 1985
- The Rise of Landscape Painting in France: Corot to Monet, 1991
- Masterpiece Studies: Manet, Zola, Van Gogh, and Monet, 1994
See also
References
- "Kermit Swiler Champa, 1939-2004".
- http://id.lib.harvard.edu/alma/990037993860203941/catalog
- "Obituary: Kermit Champa".
- Shattuck, Kathryn (17 August 2004). "Kermit S. Champa, 64, Author and Distinguished Art Historian". The New York Times.