Thomas Munro (15 February 1897 in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

– April 14, 1974 in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

) was an American philosopher of art and professor of

art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

. He served as Curator of Education for the

Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, located in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on the city's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian ...

for 36 years (1931–67).

Biography

Munro was educated at Amherst College and received his B.A. and M.A. from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, where he was influenced by philosopher and educator John Dewey. Munro served as a sergeant with the psychological services of the Army Medical Corps before returning to Columbia to get his Ph.D. in 1920. Munro was hired by Albert C. Barnes to be assistant educational director of the

Barnes Foundation The Barnes Foundation is an art collection and educational institution promoting the appreciation of art and horticulture. Originally in Merion, the art collection moved in 2012 to a new building on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Penn ...

in 1924 while serving as a visiting professor at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

. He taught at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

from 1928 to 1931, when he accepted a joint appointment at the

and professor of art history at Case Western Reserve University. Munro retired in 1967 from both roles, retaining emeritus status at Case Western until his death in 1974. He is survived by Eleanor Munro, art editor and writer.

Notable roles

*Visiting professor of modern art at the

(1924–27) *Member of the philosophy faculty at

(1928–31) *Founder in 1942 of the

American Society for Aesthetics American Society for Aesthetics (ASA) is a philosophical organization founded in 1942 to promote the study of aesthetics. The ASA sponsors national and regional conferences, and publishes the ''Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism'', the '' ...

*Editor (1945–64) of the ''

Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism ''The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering the study of aesthetics and art criticism. It was published by Wiley-Blackwell Wiley-Blackwell is an international scientific, technical, me ...

Publications

*(1928)
The Scientific Method in Aesthetics
'' PDF at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

*(1941) ''Knowledge and Control in the Field of Aesthetics'',

The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism ''The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering the study of aesthetics and art criticism. It was published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Society for Aesthetics American Soci ...

Vol. 1, No. 1 *(1949) '' The Arts and Their Interrelations'' At Internet Archive *(1956) '' Art education, its philosophy and psychology: selected essays'' New York: Liberal Arts Press. At Internet Archive. *(1963) ''Evolution in the Arts, and Other Theories of Culture History'' *(1960) ''The Creative Arts in American Education: The Interrelation of the Arts in Secondary Education''

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...

*(1965) ''Oriental Aesthetics'' *(1969) ''Art and Violence'' Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism

References

External links

Cleveland Art Prize
{{DEFAULTSORT:Munro, Thomas 1897 births 1974 deaths Case Western Reserve University faculty American art historians Writers from Omaha, Nebraska American philosophers of art Amherst College alumni Columbia College (New York) alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Rutgers University faculty