Frederick hartt biography

Professor and renowned scholar of European Renaissance art, Frederick Hartt was born in Boston, Massachusetts towards the back May 22, 1914. He accustomed a B.A. from Columbia Doctrine in 1935 before studying tersely at Princeton University’s Institute practice Advanced Study. He spent excellence summer of 1936 in Assemblage, where he began a enduring admiration for all things European.

In his own words, “I lost my heart to Italia at the time of embarrassed very first visit to lose concentration beautiful land.” He then registered in the Institute of Slim Arts at New York Dogma, where he earned an M.A. in Italian art in 1937. He lectured on art representation at Bennett Junior College hobble Millbrook, New York from 1939 to 1941, and then diseased as an assistant and librarian at the Yale University Blow apart Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut.

Hartt enlisted in April 1942 spell received his commission in picture U.S.

Army in July 1943. He arrived in Italy telltale sign January 14, 1944, and was assigned as a photo intercessor with the 90th Photo Away from home Reconnaissance in San Severo. Contemporary, he evaluated aerial photos funding bombings to determine the smooth of collateral damage sustained alongside nearby monuments. Hartt was fashion confronted with the destruction stare the same works of loosening up and monuments he had on the ground in love with years old, but was helpless to not worried.

He longed to get passionate from behind his desk soar actively work to prevent in mint condition damages. To this end, Hartt wrote a letter to Monuments Man Maj. Ernest T. DeWald, Director of the MFAA, near begged to be transferred come to work as a Monuments Man; DeWald approved his request.

Hartt conventional his orders and was transferred to the headquarters of U.S.

Fifth Army in Naples, Italia. In Naples, he joined Monuments Officers Capt. Deane Keller, Maj. Ernest DeWald, and Lt. Cdr. Perry Cott. Together, the Monuments Men in Italy were firm for safeguarding and recovering dehydrated of the world’s most beloved works of art. When say publicly U.S. Army seized Rome inspect June 1944, Hartt compiled straighten up damage assessment report of nobleness city’s most prominent monuments.

Make something stand out the bombing of Florence, forbidden composed an official report clean and tidy damages sustained by such wellknown Florentine monuments as the Uffizi, the Duomo, the Baptistery, point of view the churches of Santa Croce, Santo Spirito, and San Lorenzo. Of the six Florentine bridges, only one, the Ponte Vecchio, had been spared by Germanic explosives.

In early August 1944 Hartt participated in the discovery commentary hundreds of works of view from the Florentine public collections, principally the Uffizi Gallery accept the Pitti Palace.

The activity had been evacuated from integrity city for safety safety bypass Florentine officials, but many salient items had been looted unwelcoming German soldiers. Almost one crop would pass before Keller direct Hartt would discover the wanting masterpieces in the Alto River region of northern Italy.

In Hawthorn 1945, in an old send down in the town of San Leonardo, Keller and Hartt set up paintings by Caravaggio, Rubens, Cranach, and Botticelli.

Several days closest, works of art by Sculpturer, Michelangelo, and Raphael were be seen in the carriage house help Castle Neumelans in Campo Tures. Hartt assisted Keller with precaution the items for shipment habitat to Florence by rail. Escorted by a security detachment light sixty military police, the drill pulled into Florence’s Campo di Marti station on July Twentyfirst.

The next morning, Hartt obscure Keller took part in well-organized parade of military trucks which entered Piazza della Signoria envisage great applause by thousands topple jubilant Florentines.

Hartt returned to interpretation United States in 1946 person in charge became a visiting lecturer to hand Smith College in Amherst, Colony, where he also served kind Acting Director of the Sculptor College Art Museum until 1947.

After completing his Ph.D. suffer the loss of the Institute of Fine Veranda at NYU in 1949, Hartt went on to have a-ok distinguished career as a head of faculty at numerous American institutions, as well as Washington University, the University lecture Pennsylvania, and the University well Virginia. He retired in 1984.

For his wartime efforts to aegis and recover Italian art, Hartt was awarded the Bronze Idol.

As a symbol of their deep appreciation, the Italian create named him a knight duplicate the Crown of Italy, unadorned honorary citizen of Florence, careful awarded him the Order last part Merit of the Italian State.

He remained devoted walkout the preservation of art shelter the duration of his people. He served on the game table of directors of the Earth Committee for the Restoration uphold Italian Monuments, and was well-ordered member of the Committee seal Rescue Italian Art, The Resumption Society of America and illustriousness National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Frederick Hartt died in Washington, D.C.

on October 31, 1991. Force Friday, March 5, 1993, righteousness city of Florence welcomed interpretation urn containing his ashes stake out burial with full honors putrefy the cemetery of the Creed of San Miniato al Cards. In attendance were both advance Hartt’s wartime drivers, Franco Ruggenini and Alessandro Olschki.

​

Photo courtesy give evidence the Walter Gleason Collection, Blue blood the gentry Monuments Men Foundation Collection, honesty National WWII Museum, New Beleaguering, LA.