Michael P. Mezzatesta

Michael P. Mezzatesta
EducationColumbia University (BA)
New York University (PhD)
Occupation(s)Art historian, curator, museum director
TitleMary D.B.T. and James H. Semans Director of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University (1987–2003)
AwardsRome Prize (1979)

Michael P. Mezzatesta is an American art historian, curator, and museum director. He served as the Mary D.B.T. and James H. Semans Director of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University from 1987 to 2003.[1]

Biography

Mezzatesta received his B.A. from Columbia University in 1970 and Ph.D. from the New York University Institute of Fine Arts.[2][3] He is a specialist of Renaissance art.[4]

Mezzatesta started his museum career as a curator of European art at Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1987, he joined Walters Art Museum as director. He has organized exhibitions ranging from Gian Lorenzo Bernini to Henri Matisse at Kimbell and exhibitions from Mayan art to the works of Jackson Pollock and Louis Kahn. In 1993, he was named director of Walters Art Museum, but the offer was withdrawn just a few months later.[4][5] In an interview with The New York Times, he claimed that his vision to make the museum more international and build up its profile in contemporary art conflicted with the priorities of the museum's board of directors.[6]

Mezzatesta later returned to Duke, where he oversaw the construction of the new site of the Nasher Museum.[7] He was named director emeritus in 2003 and continued to serve as an adjunct professor in Duke's department of art history.[8]

Mezzatesta received a Rome Prize in 1979.[9] He was a visiting fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in 1986.[10]

References

  1. ^ Rooney, Megan (June 6, 2003). "Duke U. Dismisses Longtime Head of Its Art Museum; New Director Named for New York Public Library's Research-Fellowship Program". www.chronicle.com. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  2. ^ Columbia College (Columbia University). Office of Alumni Affairs and Development; Columbia College (Columbia University) (1995). Columbia College today. Columbia University Libraries. New York, N.Y. : Columbia College, Office of Alumni Affairs and Development.
  3. ^ "29 Jun 1993, Page 7 - The Baltimore Sun at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  4. ^ a b "29 Jun 1993, Page 1 - The Baltimore Sun at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  5. ^ "20 Nov 1993, Page 1 - The Baltimore Sun at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  6. ^ Vogel, Carol (1993-11-26). "Inside Art". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  7. ^ Howe, Brian (2015-10-07). "The Nasher turns 10: How Duke's obscure campus museum grew into a world-class mirror for Durham". INDY Week. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  8. ^ "Mezzatesta Named Director Emeritus of Art Museum". today.duke.edu. 2 December 2003. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  9. ^ Rome, American Academy in. "All Fellows". American Academy in Rome. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  10. ^ "Michael Mezzatesta - Scholars | Institute for Advanced Study". www.ias.edu. 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2022-07-21.