Gary Tinterow OAL (born 1953 in

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

) 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 ...

and curator. A specialist on 19th-century French art, Tinterow is currently Director and Margaret Alkek Williams Chair of the

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is an art museum located in the Houston Museum District of Houston, Texas. The permanent collection of the museum spans more than 5,000 years of history with nearly 80,000 works from six continents. Follo ...

Career

Born in

, but raised in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Tinterow graduated from Bellaire High School in 1972. He then received a Bachelor of Arts in

American Studies American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinarity, interdisciplinary field of scholarship that examines American literature, History of the United States, history, Society of the United States, society, and Culture of the Unit ...

from

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

in 1976. His senior honors thesis was on

Jewish architecture Jewish architecture comprises the architecture of Jewish religious buildings and other buildings that either incorporate Jewish elements in their design or are used by Jewish communities. Terminology Due to the diasporic nature of Jewish histor ...

and was titled "Post-World War II Synagogue Architecture in America." Tinterow then proceeded to receive a Master of Arts in

Art History Art history is the study of Work of art, 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. Tradit ...

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 ...

in 1983. After graduating from Harvard, Tinterow was hired at

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

, where he would remain until 2012. There, he served as the Engelhard Chairman of the Department of Nineteenth-Century, Modern, and Contemporary Art. During that tenure, Tinterow was part of a group of curators to help formalize the Association of Art Museum Curators. In 2012, Tinterow returned to his native

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and was named Director and Margaret Alkek Williams Chair the

, following the death of the preceding director, Peter Marzio. In 2000, Tinterow was made a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor. In 2003 and 2012, respectively, Tinterow was named Chevalier and Officier of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

by the

Government of France The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...

. In 1986, King Juan Carlos I of Spain named Tinterow an Oficial of the Orden del Merito Civill; and in 2015 King Felipe VI made Tinterow an Oficial of the Orden de Isabel la Catolica.

Personal life

Tinterow is married to Christopher Gardner, an

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...

. Tinterow is also a first cousin once removed of

Ann Richards Dorothy Ann Richards (née Willis; September 1, 1933 – September 13, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995. A Democrat, she first came to national attention as the Texas State Treasurer, ...

, former

Governor of Texas The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces. Established in the Constit ...

, through his mother's side.

References

External links

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tinterow, Gary 1953 births Living people LGBTQ people from Texas Academics from Houston Bellaire High School (Bellaire, Texas) alumni Brandeis University alumni Harvard University alumni People associated with the Metropolitan Museum of Art Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links