Dr. Radice's Statement on the Loss
of Caroline Keck
WASHINGTON, DC (December 19, 2007)—The
Institute of Museum and Library Services mourns the loss
of Caroline Keck, one of our nation’s most esteemed
pioneers and practitioners of art conservation.
Caroline and her late husband Sheldon were
perhaps America’s best known conservators over the
last century. In their deft hands, the study and work
of art conservation went from obscure to accessible to
untold thousands of students, professionals and patrons.
Today there are few museums or art collections in this
country that have not been impacted in some profound way
by their insights, discoveries or delicate touch.
It was during Caroline Keck’s stewardship
of the Museum of Modern Art’s conservation program
in the 1940s that she met Georgia O’Keefe, a friendship
that would blossom into her becoming the great artist’s
personal conservator for nearly 40 years. During this
time, Caroline would work or consult for the Brooklyn
Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the Newark Museum,
and Colonial Williamsburg, among a host of institutions.
But it was Caroline’s and Sheldon’s
advocacy for higher education in the field of art conservation
that perhaps leaves their most lasting brushstroke on
history. Together, the couple was instrumental in establishing
programs in many museums, art centers and colleges across
the United States, including New York University’s
Institute of Fine Arts, the country’s first Ph.D.
program in art conservation at the University of Delaware,
and the Cooperstown Conservation training program for
the State University College at Oneonta, and the New York
State Historical Association.
Through her work, her numerous books and
lectures, and her role as one of the field’s great
teachers, Caroline Keck leaves a legacy not just in great
art restored, but in humanity and decency. As IMLS renews
its own focus on conservation and collections care with
a landmark national initiative, we owe Caroline and Sheldon
Keck a tremendous debt of gratitude for the work they
started and the standard they set. The Institute extends
its thoughts and deepest condolences to the Keck family.
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