Smart Museum of Art names new Director

Kimerly Rorschach, coordinating curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, has been named Director of the David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art, effective Aug. 1. Rorschach will also serve as Lecturer in Art.

"This has been a long search, and of all the people we've considered, Kimerly rose to the top," said Richard Gray, chairman of the board of the Smart Museum. "The search committee is -- and I am personally -- very enthusiastic about her appointment."

Rorschach received her M.A. in 1980 and her Ph.D. in 1985 in art history from Yale. She served as curator of art at Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia from 1984 to 1989 and was an independent art historian before joining the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1993. She has published numerous essays and exhibition catalogs on European art and gardens. Her most recent catalog, "The Human Figure 1800-1950: Selections From the Philadelphia Museum of Art," was released this spring.

With the appointment of Rorschach, the Art Department expects to continue its ties with the Smart Museum, said Robert Nelson, Professor and Chairman in Art. "We have always worked closely with the Smart Museum, and we look forward to maintaining that tradition. As a department, we also look forward to gaining insights from Ms. Rorschach's depth of knowledge in English art history," he said.

Philip Gossett, Dean of the Humanities Division, added, "The visual arts have played an important role in every culture throughout history, and it is crucial that students have an opportunity to experience works of art directly within our university community. The Smart Museum has been a wonderful asset and has often interacted effectively with various departments in the Humanities. I expect that close cooperation to continue."

"I am very pleased to take up my post," Rorschach said. "The connection of the Smart Museum to the University of Chicago community is tremendously exciting, and I look forward to working with many different University constituencies."

Rorschach has organized exhibitions for more than 10 years. Among her most recent shows are "Marie Laurencin: Portraits and Visions," to open at the Katonah Museum of Art in 1997, and "The Human Figure 1800-1950: Selections From the Philadelphia Museum of Art," which will tour five cities in Japan this year.