Barbara Knowles Debs (born 1931) is an American

art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...

who was the president of

Manhattanville College Manhattanville University is a private university in Purchase, New York, United States. Founded in 1841 as a school at 412 Houston Street in Lower Manhattan, it was initially known as the "Academy of the Sacred Heart". In 1917, the academy recei ...

from 1975 to 1985. She was the president of the

New-York Historical Society The New York Historical (known as the New-York Historical Society from 1804 to 2024) is an American history museum and library on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum. It ...

from 1989 to 1992. She is on the board of directors of the

Brooklyn Museum of Art The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 500,000 objects. Located near the Prospect Heig ...

, the

Foreign Policy Association The Foreign Policy Association (FPA, formerly known as the League of Free Nations Association) is an American non-profit foreign policy organization. According to the FPA, the organization aims to spread global awareness and understanding of US f ...

and the Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge Foundation.

Biography

Barbara Jean Knowles was born in 1931 to Stanley Freeman Knowles of

Cranston, Rhode Island Cranston, formerly known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The official population of the city in the 2020 United States Census was 82,934, making it the second-largest city in the state. The center of ...

. In 1953 she was a

Fulbright scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the peopl ...

to Italy. She studied art history in both

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...

and Rome, She then earned her Ph.D. from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. On July 20, 1958 she married Richard A. Debs in

Orleans, Massachusetts Orleans ( ) is a New England town, town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, situated along Cape Cod. The population was 6,307 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Orleans, ...

. They have a daughter, Elizabeth Anderson Debs. By 1971 she was an assistant professor of art history at

. She was named president of the college in 1975 and she served until 1985. She was named president of the

in 1989 and served until 1992. In 1995 she and her husband endowed the Richard and Barbara Debs Composer's Chair at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

. She was awarded the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal in 2002.

Publications

*Sebastiano Del Piombo, the Venetian Works (1967)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Debs, Barbara Knowles Manhattanville University faculty 1931 births Living people Directors of museums in the United States American women museum directors New York Historical Harvard University alumni American art historians American women art historians Vassar College alumni Historians from New York (state) 21st-century American women