Thomas Hoving: Difference between revisions
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'''Thomas Pearsall Field Hoving'''<ref name="tomhoving!">[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/11/arts/design/11hoving.html?ref=obituaries Kennedy, Randy. "Thomas Hoving, Who Shook Up the Met, Dies at 78", ''The New York Times'', Friday, December 11, 2009]</ref> (January 15, 1931 – December 10, 2009) was an [[United States|American]] museum executive |
'''Thomas Pearsall Field Hoving'''<ref name="tomhoving!">[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/11/arts/design/11hoving.html?ref=obituaries Kennedy, Randy. "Thomas Hoving, Who Shook Up the Met, Dies at 78", ''The New York Times'', Friday, December 11, 2009]</ref> (January 15, 1931 – December 10, 2009) was an [[United States|American]] museum executive, & consultant and the former director of the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], best selling author, Editor & Chief of Connoisseur Magazine and a frequent arts correspondent for the American Broadcasting Company, ABC telivision newsmagazine 20/20. |
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==Biography== |
==Biography== |
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He was born in [[New York City]] to [[Walter Hoving]], the head of [[Tiffany & Company]], and his wife, Mary Osgood Field. Thomas Hoving grew up surrounded by New York's upper social strata. As recounted in his memoir, ''Making the Mummies Dance'', these early experiences would be invaluable in his later dealings with the Met's donors and trustees. |
He was born in [[New York City]] to [[Walter Hoving]], the head of [[Tiffany & Company]], and his wife, Mary Osgood Field. Thomas Hoving grew up surrounded by New York's upper social strata. As recounted in his memoir, ''Making the Mummies Dance'', these early experiences would be invaluable in his later dealings with the Met's donors and trustees. |
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After graduating from [[Hotchkiss School]] in 1949, he received a B.A. in 1953, a M.F.A. in 1958, and a Ph.D. in 1959, all from [[Princeton University]]. He went to work for the Met in 1959, serving on the staff of the medieval department at [[The Cloisters]] until 1965, when he became curator of the department. |
After graduating from [[Hotchkiss School]] in 1949, he received a B.A. in 1953, a M.F.A. in 1958, and a Ph.D. in 1959, all from [[Princeton University]]. He went to work for the Met in 1959, serving on the staff of the medieval department at [[The Cloisters]] until 1965, when he became curator of the department. |
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He had worked in the early 1960s as a campaign volunteer for [[John V. Lindsay]] , the congressman from Manhattan, who became a casual friend. And when Mr. Lindsay was elected mayor of New York City in 1965, he asked Mr. Hoving to be his Parks Commissioner. Though Mr. Hoving had little administrative experience and scant knowledge of the park system, he plunged into the job. He became a familiar sight at parks around the city, zipping around on his Jawa motorcycle. And he quickly generated headlines by winning a fight with the traffic Commissioner to close Central Park’s east and west drives to car traffic first only for a few hours on Sundays, and then expanded to include Saturday. This policy not only had ramifications in all the other city parks but was also copied in many cities around the world. He also instituted a series of park gatherings — known as “Hoving’s Happenings,” a term borrowed from the artist Allan Kaprow — in which huge crowds turned out to do things like communal painting or lying in the Sheep Meadow to watch a midnight meteor shower. |
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In 1967 he returned to the Met as director after the incumbent, [[James J. Rorimer]], died suddenly on March 11, 1966. He assumed the directorship on March 17, 1967 During his decade-long tenure as director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Hoving, an extremely charismatic showman and treasure hunter, fundamentally transformed the institution and helped usher in the era of the museum blockbuster show.<ref name="tomhoving!"/> |
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| ⚫ | He left the Met on June 30, 1977 to start an independent consulting firm for museums, Hoving Associates. From 1978 to 1984 he was an arts correspondent for the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] [[newsmagazine]] ''[[20/20]]''.<ref>[http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/features/hoving/artful-tom-chapter-twenty-nine6-10-09.asp Hoving, Thomas. ''Artful Tom, A Memoir'' (Chapter 29). ''Artnet Magazine'', June 10, 2009.]</ref> |
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| ⚫ | He left the Met on June 30, 1977 to start an independent consulting firm for museums, Hoving Associates. From 1978 to 1984 he was an arts correspondent for the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] [[newsmagazine]] ''[[20/20]]''.<ref>[http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/features/hoving/artful-tom-chapter-twenty-nine6-10-09.asp Hoving, Thomas. ''Artful Tom, A Memoir'' (Chapter 29). ''Artnet Magazine'', June 10, 2009.]</ref> |
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| ⚫ | Hoving appeared in ''[[Who the *$&% Is Jackson Pollock?]]'', a documentary by Harry Moses about a purported "lost" [[Jackson Pollock]] painting, in which he, through a series of memorable interviews, claimed that true painting connoisseurs are the only ones who can identify the real from the fake (fingerprints and forensic evidence are secondary).<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/arts/design/09poll.html?ex=1320728400&en=64ddfced00b8a716&ei=5090 Kennedy, Randy. "Could Be a Pollock; Must Be a Yarn," ''The New York Times'', Thursday, November 9, 2006.]</ref> |
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He was Editor & Chief of '''Connoisseur Magazine''' from 1981 to 1991. |
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Mr. Hoving was also the author of several books three of which were on The New York Times best seller list. |
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'''Computers and Their Potential Applications in Museums''' : A Conference Sponsored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, April 15 - 17, 1968, |
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Arno Press (1968)''''' |
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The Great Age of Fresco: Giotto to Pontormo; an Exhibition of Mural Paintings and Monumental Drawings''''', Metropolitan Museum of Art; 1st edition |
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(January 1, 1968) '''Art of Oceania, Africa, and the Americas''', Museum of Primitive Art (January 1, 1969),''' |
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''Chase, the Capture Collecting at the Metropolitan, Metropolitan Museum of Art''''' (June 1975), '''Two Worlds of Andrew Wyeth''': |
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'''A Conversation with Andrew Wyeth,''' Mariner Books (October 30, 1978), |
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'''King of the Confessors''', Simon & Schuster (January 1, 1981) & Ballantine Books (July 12, 1982), |
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'''Tutankhamun: The Untold Story''', Cooper Square Press (May 25, 2002), |
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'''Making the Mummies Dance''' : I'''nside the Metropolitan Museum of Art''', Touchstone (February 15, 1994), |
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False Impressions, Touchstone (May 8, 1997), |
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'''Andrew Wyeth: Autobiography,''' Bulfinch (September 15, 1998), |
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'''American Gothic: The Biography of Grant Wood's American Masterpiece''', Chamberlain Bros.; Illustrated. edition (June 28, 2005), '''Greatest Works of Art of Western Civilization''', Barnes & Noble (2003), |
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and two works of fiction, '''Masterpiece''', Berkley (July 1, 1988) and '''Discovery''', Simon & Schuster; First Edition edition (September 1989) |
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| ⚫ | Hoving appeared in ''[[Who the *$&% Is Jackson Pollock?]]'', a documentary by Harry Moses about a purported "lost" [[Jackson Pollock]] painting, in which he, through a series of memorable interviews, claimed that true painting connoisseurs are the only ones who can identify the real from the fake (fingerprints and forensic evidence are secondary).<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/arts/design/09poll.html?ex=1320728400&en=64ddfced00b8a716&ei=5090 Kennedy, Randy. "Could Be a Pollock; Must Be a Yarn," ''The New York Times'', Thursday, November 9, 2006.]</ref> |
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==Career at the Met== |
==Career at the Met== |
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His tenure at the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] was characterized by his distinctive approach to expanding the Met's collections. |
His tenure at the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] was characterized by his distinctive approach to expanding the Met's collections. He pursued a small number of world-class" pieces, including the [[Euphronios krater]] depicting the death of [[Sarpedon]] (returned to Italy in 2008), [[Diego Velázquez|Velázquez's]] "[[Juan de Pareja]]", and the [[Temple of Dendur]]. {{Citation needed|date=December 2009}} |
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The expansion of the Met during Hoving's directorship was not confined to its collections. Hoving also spearheaded a number of much needed building projects and renovations of the Met itself, from a "controversial" expansion of its galleries into Central Park to the construction of its underground parking garage. {{Citation needed|date=December 2009}} |
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Two of the building's most characteristic features he was responsible for – the huge exterior banners announcing current shows, were his idea after seeing a cartoon in The New Yorker, depicting the front facade of the Metropolitan stating, "Welcome Mr. Hoving". and the broad plaza and steps leading from Fifth Avenue to the Met's entryway – are products of Hoving's tenure. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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Revision as of 16:17, 16 February 2010
Thomas Pearsall Field Hoving[1] (January 15, 1931 – December 10, 2009) was an American museum executive, & consultant and the former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, best selling author, Editor & Chief of Connoisseur Magazine and a frequent arts correspondent for the American Broadcasting Company, ABC telivision newsmagazine 20/20.
Biography
He was born in New York City to Walter Hoving, the head of Tiffany & Company, and his wife, Mary Osgood Field. Thomas Hoving grew up surrounded by New York's upper social strata. As recounted in his memoir, Making the Mummies Dance, these early experiences would be invaluable in his later dealings with the Met's donors and trustees.
After graduating from Hotchkiss School in 1949, he received a B.A. in 1953, a M.F.A. in 1958, and a Ph.D. in 1959, all from Princeton University. He went to work for the Met in 1959, serving on the staff of the medieval department at The Cloisters until 1965, when he became curator of the department.
He had worked in the early 1960s as a campaign volunteer for John V. Lindsay , the congressman from Manhattan, who became a casual friend. And when Mr. Lindsay was elected mayor of New York City in 1965, he asked Mr. Hoving to be his Parks Commissioner. Though Mr. Hoving had little administrative experience and scant knowledge of the park system, he plunged into the job. He became a familiar sight at parks around the city, zipping around on his Jawa motorcycle. And he quickly generated headlines by winning a fight with the traffic Commissioner to close Central Park’s east and west drives to car traffic first only for a few hours on Sundays, and then expanded to include Saturday. This policy not only had ramifications in all the other city parks but was also copied in many cities around the world. He also instituted a series of park gatherings — known as “Hoving’s Happenings,” a term borrowed from the artist Allan Kaprow — in which huge crowds turned out to do things like communal painting or lying in the Sheep Meadow to watch a midnight meteor shower.
In 1967 he returned to the Met as director after the incumbent, James J. Rorimer, died suddenly on March 11, 1966. He assumed the directorship on March 17, 1967 During his decade-long tenure as director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Hoving, an extremely charismatic showman and treasure hunter, fundamentally transformed the institution and helped usher in the era of the museum blockbuster show.[1]
He left the Met on June 30, 1977 to start an independent consulting firm for museums, Hoving Associates. From 1978 to 1984 he was an arts correspondent for the ABC newsmagazine 20/20.[2]
He was Editor & Chief of Connoisseur Magazine from 1981 to 1991.
Mr. Hoving was also the author of several books three of which were on The New York Times best seller list.
Computers and Their Potential Applications in Museums : A Conference Sponsored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, April 15 - 17, 1968, The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Arno Press (1968) The Great Age of Fresco: Giotto to Pontormo; an Exhibition of Mural Paintings and Monumental Drawings, Metropolitan Museum of Art; 1st edition
(January 1, 1968) Art of Oceania, Africa, and the Americas, Museum of Primitive Art (January 1, 1969),
Chase, the Capture Collecting at the Metropolitan, Metropolitan Museum of Art (June 1975), Two Worlds of Andrew Wyeth: A Conversation with Andrew Wyeth, Mariner Books (October 30, 1978), King of the Confessors, Simon & Schuster (January 1, 1981) & Ballantine Books (July 12, 1982), Tutankhamun: The Untold Story, Cooper Square Press (May 25, 2002), Making the Mummies Dance : Inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Touchstone (February 15, 1994), False Impressions, Touchstone (May 8, 1997), Andrew Wyeth: Autobiography, Bulfinch (September 15, 1998), American Gothic: The Biography of Grant Wood's American Masterpiece, Chamberlain Bros.; Illustrated. edition (June 28, 2005), Greatest Works of Art of Western Civilization, Barnes & Noble (2003),
and two works of fiction, Masterpiece, Berkley (July 1, 1988) and Discovery, Simon & Schuster; First Edition edition (September 1989)
Hoving appeared in Who the *$&% Is Jackson Pollock?, a documentary by Harry Moses about a purported "lost" Jackson Pollock painting, in which he, through a series of memorable interviews, claimed that true painting connoisseurs are the only ones who can identify the real from the fake (fingerprints and forensic evidence are secondary).[3]
Hoving died of lung cancer at his home in Manhattan, New York City on December 10, 2009.[1]
Career at the Met
His tenure at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was characterized by his distinctive approach to expanding the Met's collections. He pursued a small number of world-class" pieces, including the Euphronios krater depicting the death of Sarpedon (returned to Italy in 2008), Velázquez's "Juan de Pareja", and the Temple of Dendur. [citation needed]
The expansion of the Met during Hoving's directorship was not confined to its collections. Hoving also spearheaded a number of much needed building projects and renovations of the Met itself, from a "controversial" expansion of its galleries into Central Park to the construction of its underground parking garage. [citation needed]
Two of the building's most characteristic features he was responsible for – the huge exterior banners announcing current shows, were his idea after seeing a cartoon in The New Yorker, depicting the front facade of the Metropolitan stating, "Welcome Mr. Hoving". and the broad plaza and steps leading from Fifth Avenue to the Met's entryway – are products of Hoving's tenure.
References
- ^ a b c Kennedy, Randy. "Thomas Hoving, Who Shook Up the Met, Dies at 78", The New York Times, Friday, December 11, 2009
- ^ Hoving, Thomas. Artful Tom, A Memoir (Chapter 29). Artnet Magazine, June 10, 2009.
- ^ Kennedy, Randy. "Could Be a Pollock; Must Be a Yarn," The New York Times, Thursday, November 9, 2006.
External links
Bibliography
- Watson, Peter (2007). The Medici Conspiracy. New York: Public Affairs. ISBN 978-1-58648-438-5.
- McPhee, John (1969). A Roomful of Hovings. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Hoving, Thomas (1993). Making the Mummies Dance: Inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-88075-0.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Hoving, Thomas (1997). False Impressions: The Hunt for Big-Time Art Fakes. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-684-81134-0.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Hoving, Thomas. King of the Confessors. Simon and Schuster: New York, 1981.
- Hoving, Thomas. King of the Confessors: A New Appraisal. cybereditions.com: Christchurch, NZ, 2001.
- "Outdoorsman of the Big City," Life (magazine), April 29, 1966.
