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WRTI's Susan Lewis reports on the death of Anne d'Harnoncourt
Philadelphiia, PA –
Anne d'Harnoncourt, longtime chief executive of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and one of the art world's most influential women, died of cardiac arrest at her Center City home on Monday, June 2 at the age of 64.
A graduate of Radcliffe College and London University's Courtauld Institute of Art, d'Harnoncourt started at the Museum over 40 years ago as a curatorial assistant. Named museum director in 1982, she became CEO in 1996.
D'Harnoncourt shepherded the Museum through a period of growth, which included renovation of more than 100 galleries and the expansion to its Perlman building across the street. Under her leadership, the Museum gained international recognition for its ambitious special exhibitions that often included partnerships with art institutions around the world. Recent exhibitions include the works of Frida Kahlo, a show of Renoir landscapes, and Latin American colonial art.
A statement issued from the Museum said that d'Harnoncourt "led the Museum with greatness and grace."
Born on Sept. 7, 1943, she was the only child of Rene d'Harnoncourt, art historian and famed director of New York's MoMA, and Sara Carr, a fashion designer.
Anne d'Harnoncourt is survived by her husband of 37 years, Joseph Rishel, a senior curator at the Museum.
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