H. Alexander Rich, Ph.D.
Department Chair
Associate Professor
Executive Director and Chief Curator, AGB Museum of Art
George and Dorothy Forsythe Endowed Chair in Art History and Museum Studies
My primary goal as a professor of Art History and Museum Studies is to provide students with the tools they need to study art and the world of museums critically. In the classroom, I have three overarching objectives for my students: that they learn how to look at art, how to talk about art, and how to write about art. At the Museum, I strive to offer students the opportunity to work with objects firsthand and to gain transformative, pre-professional experiences that can set them on a path toward long-term careers in the field. More than anything else, by honing students' innate skills of observation and critical thinking, I want them to understand why the history of the artworks we study — along with the cultural spaces in which we exhibit, preserve, and learn from them — is as essential as the art itself.
Biography
Dr. Rich is Associate Professor of Art History and Chair of the Department of Art History and Museum Studies and holds the George and Dorothy Forsythe Endowed Chair in Art History and Museum Studies. He is also Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art and Director of the Melvin and Burks Galleries on campus. Dr. Rich is a specialist in Modern and Contemporary art history, with a particular focus on European and American art of the 19th and 20th centuries. He earned his Ph.D. in Art History from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and his A.B. from Dartmouth College.
Dr. Rich's research focuses frequently on the experiential role of the viewer, on histories that have yet to be told, and on the concepts of liminality, in-between-ness, and insider-outsider status in the history of art, especially with regard to artists who are often understudied, overlooked, or who grapple with feelings of "Otherness." His dissertation, entitled “Artist or Critic?: Guy Pène du Bois & the Search for Artistic Identity,” examined the under-recognized legacy of the artist and art critic Guy Pène du Bois, who was a key figure in the advent of modern art in America but is virtually unknown today.
A native of New York City, Dr. Rich is the curator of far-ranging museum exhibitions, including Masters of Spain: Goya and Picasso, Renoir: Les Études, Rembrandt’s Academy, and Chagall: Stories into Dreams at the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art. Before moving to Florida in 2014, Dr. Rich taught previously in both the History of Art Department at the Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York and in the City University of New York system. Prior to joining the staff of the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum in 2017 and becoming its executive director in 2019, he has also worked in both curatorial and education capacities at museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Hood Museum of Art in Hanover, NH.
Education
- Ph.D., Art History, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, New York, NY
- M.A., Art History, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, New York, NY
- A.B., English / Art History, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Awards
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- Faculty Senator-at-Large: 2023 to present.
- George and Dorothy Forsythe Endowed Chair in Art History and Museum Studies: 2021 to present.
- Faculty-Student Collaborative Research Grant: 2024.
- Robert H. Tate Faculty Development Endowment Fund: 2017, 2018.
- Faculty Summer Research Stipend: 2016.
Institute Of Fine Arts, New York University
- Lila Acheson Wallace Fellowship: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011.
- Samuel F.B. Morse Fellowship: 2006.
- Director’s Fellowship: 2004, 2005.
- Leo and Karen Gutmann Foundation Grant: 2004, 2005, 2006.
- Leon and Shelby Levy Fellowship: 2003.
Dartmouth College
- Arthur Feinstein 1955 Memorial Award in English Honors. Dartmouth English Department award for outstanding Honors Thesis.
- B. William Hochman 1955 Memorial Award in American Literature. Dartmouth English Department award recognizing academic excellence in American literature courses over previous four years.
- Class of 1962 Award for Excellence in Writing Assistance. Award for outstanding performance as a Writing/Teaching Assistant.
Publications
“Timeless Origins: Introduction,” in Timeless Origins: The Art of Reynier Llanes, exhibition catalogue, Lakeland, FL: Polk Museum of Art: 2024.
“Reviving HerStory, Subversively: On the Importance of the Works of Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso,” in A Brush with HerStory: Paintings by Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso, exhibition catalogue, Huntington, NY: Heckscher Museum of Art: 2020.
“A Nightmare Experience: Henry Fuseli’s The Nightmare, Bram Stoker’s Dracula & the Experiential Role of the Viewer/Reader in Two Gothic Masterworks,” Journal of Florida Studies (2018): 150-162.
“Interpreters of Nature: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Frank Lloyd Wright, and the ‘Sense of Place,’” Journal of Florida Literature 24 (2016): 33-48.
Robert Vickrey: Master of Magic Realism, editor and contributor, exhibition catalogue, Lakeland: Melvin Art Gallery, ³Ô¹ÏÍø, 2015.
“Otherness, The Expatriate Tradition & the Search For Identity in 1990s Art,” in Shades of Time: An Exhibition from the Archive of Korean-American Artists, 1989-2001, exhibition catalogue, ed. Kyunghee Pyun, New York: AHL Foundation, 2014: 23-31.
“Rediscovering Florine (Again),” Woman’s Art Journal, (Fall/Winter 2012): 22-29.
“Dorothy Norman,” “Paul Pfeiffer,” “Kenny Scharf,” and “Esteban Vicente,” entries in The Grove Encyclopedia of American Art, ed. Joan Marter, New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.
“Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party,” Brooklyn Museum of Art website, place settings/heritage tiles entries, fifty plus articles on historical women for comprehensive searchable online database, 2006.
“Mel Kendrick: Seeing the Sculpture in the Tree,” Valley News, March 7, 2002
Staff Arts Writer, The Dartmouth newspaper, Fall 1999 to Spring 2003.
Exhibitions Curated/Organized
Hunt Slonem Paints!, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: June 22 – September 22, 2024.
Nature and Mystery: The Art of Mally Khorasantchi, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: June 15 – September 15, 2024.
Rockwell/Wyeth: Icons of Americana, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: January 27 – May 26, 2024.
Rodin at the Polk, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: December 15, 2024 – January 11, 2026.
Illustrations from the Mirror: The Art of Ahmad Taylor, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: September 30, 2023 – February 4, 2024.
The Weight of Paper: Works by Women Artists from the Permanent Collection, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: September 16, 2023 – February 18, 2024.
Timeless Origins: The Art of Reynier Llanes, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: August 19, 2023 – January 14, 2024.
Remembering Vilna: The Holocaust and the Art of Samuel Bak, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: July 29, 2023 – January 7, 2024.
In the Eye of the Mind: The Fantastic Realities of Steven Kenny, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: April 15 – August 5, 2023.
Seen and Unseen: Photographs by Imogen Cunningham, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: April 8 – July 15, 2023.
New Eyes on the Permanent Collection, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: March 25 – September 3, 2023.
Jerry Uelsmann: Dreams from the Darkroom, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: March 21 – June 10, 2023.
Hunt Slonem’s Hare Salon, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: February 25 – June 10, 2023.
Edward Hopper and Guy P̬ne du Bois: Painting the Real, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: December 17, 2022 РMarch 21, 2023.
Lauren Austin: Life in Quilts, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: November 12, 2022 – March 19, 2023.
Rodin: Contemplation and Dreams / Selections from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Collections, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: June 25 – October 30, 2022.
The Art of the Highwaymen: From the Woodsby Family Collection, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: February 12 – May 22, 2022.
Cross-Cultures/Cross-Campus: Through the Eyes of Nan Liu, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: January 8 – April 24, 2022.
Finding Meaning Within: The Photography of John Pinderhughes, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: November 20, 2021 – February 24, 2022.
When We Were Young: Children and Animals in Art from the Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: November 13, 2021 – January 30, 2022.
Pictures at an Exhibition, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: September 11, 2021 – January 2, 2022.
Y2K: Art at the Turn of the 20th Century, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: June 10 – August 28, 2021.
Josephine Sacabo: Those Who Dance, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: June 5 – October 31, 2021.
Toulouse-Lautrec & The Belle Époque, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: February 13 – May 23, 2021.
Edward Hopper and Guy P̬ne du Bois: Painting the Real, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: December 2022 РMarch 2023. [forthcoming]
What’s the Story: Art in Search of a Narrative, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: October 10, 2020 – January 17, 2021.
Music & Dance in Painting of the Dutch Golden Age, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: February 8 – September 27, 2020.
A Brush with HerStory: The Paintings of Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: December 14 2019 – October 25, 2020.
Global Art of the 1970s: From the S.C. Johnson Collection, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: November 7, 2019 – February 2, 2020.
Spirits: Ritual and Ceremonial African and Oceanic Treasures from the Dr. Alan and Linda Rich Collection, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: October 26, 2019 – January 26, 2020.
Pierre Matisse: Sparks of Creativity, Melvin & Burks Galleries, ³Ô¹ÏÍø, Lakeland, FL: September 27 – November 4, 2019.
Pierre Matisse: Stories of Creativity, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: September 7 – November 24, 2019.
Flashback Female: Women Artists in the 1980s and 1990s from the Permanent Collection, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: June 1 – August 31, 2019.
Inside the Masters’ Studios: Richard Haas Dioramas, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: April 6 – July 27, 2019.
The Art of Will Barnet, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: January 12 – March 10, 2019.
Degas: The Private Impressionist, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: December 22, 2018 – March 24, 2019.
Chagall: Stories into Dreams, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: September 29, 2018 – January 6, 2019.
The Von Wagner Code: Unlocking the Mystery of a Rediscovered Painting, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: June 23 – September 16, 2018.
Lorrie Goulet: Seventy Years Carving, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: June 16 – September 30, 2018.
Masters of Spain: Goya and Picasso, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: March 17 – June 17, 2018.
Richard Segalman: Monotypes, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: December 26, 2017 – March 25, 2018.
Renoir: Les Études, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: December 26, 2017 – March 11, 2018.
America/American: Selections from the Permanent Collection, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: December 16, 2017 – March 4, 2018.
Faces in the Crowd, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: September 30 – December 17, 2017.
Disruption and Conversation: Jerry Uelsmann, 50 Years in the Darkroom, Melvin & Burks Galleries, ³Ô¹ÏÍø, Lakeland, FL: September 22 – November 5, 2017.
Rembrandt’s Academy: Old Master Paintings from Private Dutch Collections, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: June 10 – September 24, 2017.
The Figure in American Art, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: June 10 – September 24, 2017.
An Homage to Architecture: Richard Haas, Master of Trompe L'oeil, Melvin & Burks Galleries, ³Ô¹ÏÍø, Lakeland, FL: September 23 – November 6, 2016.
Robert Vickrey: Master of Magic Realism, Melvin & Burks Galleries, ³Ô¹ÏÍø, Lakeland, FL: September 4 – November 4, 2015.
Presentations
“When Photography Became ‘Art’: Pictorialism, Straight Photography, and the Photo- Secession,” Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement, St. Petersburg, FL: May 19, 2024.
“Rockwell/Wyeth: Icons of Americana,” Metropolitan Museum of Art, Visitor Experience Volunteer Enrichment Committee, New York, NY, virtual lecture: April 9, 2024.
“The Audacity of Impressionism,” Salvador Dalà Museum, St. Petersburg, FL: April 1, 2024.
“Rockwell and Wyeth: Painting and Illustrating ‘America,’” Fulbright Association, Mid-Florida Chapter, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: February 10, 2024.
“Seeing Things Differently: Imogen Cunningham, Steven Kenny, and New Eyes on the Permanent Collection,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: April 14, 2023.
“Hopper, Pène du Bois, and the Question of Legacy,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: December 16, 2022.
“Knowing Your Audience: Strategies for Presenting and Writing Grants with a Clear Voice,” Grants for the Future Panel, Florida Association of Museums Conference, Miami, FL: September 20, 2022.
“Rodin in Context: Before, Of, and Beyond His Time,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: June 24, 2022.
“Reading the Room: Looking at Modern Art And Why It Can Make You a Better Doctor,” Tufts Medical School, Boston, MA, virtual lecture: March 24, 2022.
“Crash Course: Toward a More Inclusive Art History,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL, virtual lecture: February 17, 2022.
“Through More Innocent Eyes: Art, Nostalgia, and Visual Literacy When We Were Young,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: December 17, 2021.
“American Impressionism, American Realism, American Modernism: Laying the Foundation for an American Art,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: September 10, 2021.
“The Enemy Within: Mid-Twentieth Century Wartime Photography and the Collective Dehumanization of War,” Enemy Encounters Conference, United Kingdom (Cardiff University and Imperial War Museums), virtual lecture: July 20, 2021.
“Bringing the War Home: Photography, Illustration, and Visual Culture in the Age of the Spanish-American War,” Friends of Freedom Visual Narratives of History and Heritage Speaker Series, Florida Humanities Council/Platform Art, Lakeland, FL: May 16, 2021.
“Crash Course: When Did Photography Become Art?,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL, virtual lecture: June 17, 2021.
“Toulouse-Lautrec: A Primer,” Florida Art Education Association, virtual lecture: April 27, 2021.
“Crash Course: Who Was Toulouse-Lautrec?” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL, virtual lecture: February 18, 2021.
“Crash Course: Pop Art,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL, virtual lecture: November 12, 2020.
“What’s the Story?: Art in Search of a Narrative,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL, virtual lecture: October 9, 2020.
“A Brief-ish History of Dada,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL, virtual lecture: September 24, 2020.
“A Brief-ish History of Photography,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL, virtual lecture: July 16, 2020.
“Arts Organizations in the Time of Corona,” Lakeland Chamber of Commerce, virtual lecture: April 16, 2020.
“Private Collections, Public Good: Sharing Global Art with New Audiences,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: November 8, 2019.
“Degas Revisited: A New Glimpse at an Impressionist Master,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: December 21, 2018.
“Chagall and Brooks: Two Outsiders in Paris,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: September 28, 2018.
“The Von Wagner Code: Unlocking a Mystery,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: June 29, 2018.
“Whose Academic Museum?: Transforming a Community Museum into an Academic Museum for All,” Roundtable Panel Leader, 2018 Association of Academic Museums and Galleries Annual Conference, Miami, FL: June 21-24, 2018.
“Goya, Picasso, and the Symbolism of the Bull,” Moderator and Panelist, Goya, Picasso & the Heritage of Spain, Florida Humanities Council Grant-Funded Panel, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: April 3, 2018.
“Childhood Visual Literacy: Seeing the World Through Art and Museums ,” Keynote Address, Fifth Annual Visionaries of the Visual Arts Awards, Naples, FL: January 9, 2018.
“New Perspectives: Reconsidering Renoir and ‘American’ Art,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: December 22, 2017. (https://polkmuseumofart.org/press-content/2018/1/10/watch-renoir-les-tudes-lecture)
“A Brief-ish History of Photography,” Jerry Uelsmann Exhibition Lecture, ³Ô¹ÏÍø, Lakeland, FL: October 26, 2017.
“Faces in the Crowd: The Individual and Communal Experience of Seeing & Being Seen in the Museum,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: October 6, 2017. (https://vimeo.com/244839605)
“The Museum as Academy: Or What We Learn When We Look at Art,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: June 9, 2017.
“From Paris to Cos Cob: An American Impressionism,” Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL: January 20, 2017.
“The Art of Subversion,” Honors Program Supper Seminar, ³Ô¹ÏÍø, Lakeland, FL: November 7, 2016.
“A Nightmare Experience: Henry Fuseli’s The Nightmare, Bram Stoker’s Dracula & the Experiential Role of the Viewer/Reader in Two Gothic Masterworks,” Florida College English Association Conference, St. Petersburg, Florida: October 2016.
“Picasso, Zao Wou-ki, Whanki Kim in Paris: The ‘Other’ at Home,” AHL Foundation Public Lecture Series, Korean Cultural Service NY, New York, NY: October 2015.
“Robert Frank’s Florida: Rediscovering 1950s Florida from within the Pages of Frank’s Masterwork The Americans,” Florida College English Association Conference, St. Petersburg, Florida: October 2015.
“Interpreters of Nature: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Frank Lloyd Wright, and the ‘Sense of Place,’” 28th Annual Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society Conference, ³Ô¹ÏÍø, Lakeland, Florida: March 2015.