Ackerman, James S., b. 1919
Architectural historian, Art historianCambridge, Mass. (Show Bio)
James S. Ackerman interview, 1991 Jan. 2
2 sound cassettes (ca. 1 hr. 45 min.) : analog.
An interview of James Ackerman conducted by Robert F. Brown for the Archives of American Art.
Ackerman talks about his childhood in San Francisco in a wealthy family of German-Jewish descent; travels with his family in Europe; early exposure to art and art history; education at the Cate School, California; education at Yale University, 1938-41, including recollections of teachers and curriculum, especially the charismatic teaching of Henri Focillon; graduate work at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, 1941 and 1945-52, including curriculum and teachers such as Karl Lehmann, Richard Krautheimer, and Erwin Panofsky; World War II experience in signal intelligence; early publications and their fortunate effect on his career, and contrast of those who solely pursued facts and those who also have ideas.
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
How to Use this Interview
- Untranscribed; use requires an appointment.
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