Charles M. Kurtz

Charles McMeen Kurtz (March 20, 1855 – March 21, 1909) was an American art critic, writer, and museum curator.

Charles M. Kurtz
Portrait of Kurtz by Joaquín Sorolla, 1909
Born(1855-03-20)March 20, 1855
New Castle, Pennsylvania
DiedMarch 21, 1909(1909-03-21) (aged 54)
Buffalo, New York
EducationWashington & Jefferson College
Occupation(s)curator, art critic, writer
Spouse
Julia Stephenson
​
(m. 1885)​
Signature
Kurtz with Halsey Ives, c. 1893

Biogrpahy

He was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania on March 20, 1855, to Davis Brook Kurtz and Julia Wilder.[1][2] The family's ancestry was traceable to Darmstadt, Germany.[1] He and his 4 siblings grew up in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania.[1]

He graduated from Washington & Jefferson College in 1876.[1][3] He then studied at the National Academy of Design in New York City, later earning an M.A. from Washington & Jefferson in 1878.[1]

In 1881 he published the first edition of the National Academy Notes.[1] He married Julia Stephenson in 1885, and they had three daughters.[1]

In 1891 he was appointed as one of Halsey Ives's assistants in the Fine Arts Department of the World's Columbian Exposition, where he introduced American art audiences to Glasgow School, the Danish School, Mihály Munkácsy, Joaquim Sorolla.[1] He also worked as the Assistant Director of Fine Arts for the United States for the Paris Exposition of 1900.[1] He was the art director for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904.[1]

He was known for being an outspoken opponent of tariffs on imported art.[1]

He died in Buffalo, New York on March 21, 1909.[1][2][4]

His papers are on file at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art.[1]

References
  1. Pancza-Graham, Arleen (1996). "A Finding Aid to the Charles M. Kurtz Papers, 1843-1990, bulk 1884-1909, in the Archives of American Art" (PDF). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
  2. American Biography: A New Cyclopedia. Vol. XXV. American Historical Association. 1926. p. 198. Retrieved February 24, 2023 – via Google Books.
  3. "Washington & Jefferson College 1865-". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. Archived from the original on July 16, 2009.
  4. "Charles M. Kurtz" (PDF). The New York Times. March 22, 1909. Archived from the original on March 22, 1909.

Media related to Charles M. Kurtz at Wikimedia Commons

Finding aid for Charles Kurtz archive at the Getty Research Institute


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