Richard Brettell

Richard Brettell
BornJanuary 17, 1949
Rochester, New York
DiedJuly 24, 2020
Dallas, Texas
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Art historian, Museum director, Curator
SpouseCaroline Brettell
Academic background
Alma materYale University
Doctoral advisorAnne Coffin Hanson
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity of Texas at Dallas, Dallas Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, University of Texas at Austin
Main interestsImpressionism and Post-Impressionism

Richard Robson "Rick" Brettell (January 17, 1949 – July 24, 2020) was an American art historian and museum director recognized for his transformative impact on the arts in Dallas, Texas.[1][2] Noted for his prowess as a curator, fundraiser, and institution-builder, he was hailed in the Dallas Morning News as a "rainmaker extraordinaire"[1] and "the most culturally 'important' man in Dallas."[3]

Brettell moved to Dallas in 1988 to become the Director of the Dallas Museum of Art, a position he held until 1992. He would later join the faculty of the University of Texas at Dallas, where he served as Margaret M. McDermott Distinguished Chair of Art and Aesthetic Studies and inaugural director of the Edith O'Donnell Institute of Art History. During his time at UT Dallas, Brettell spearheaded the university's successful efforts to acquire the Barrett Collection of Swiss Art and the Crow Collection of Asian Art. Both collections will be housed in the future UT Dallas Athenaeum, a reading room of which is to be named for Brettell.[1][4] At the time of his death in 2020, Brettell was campaigning for the creation of the "Museum of Texas Art"—or MoTA—at Dallas' art deco Fair Park.[5][6]

For his achievements, Brettell was made a Chevalier and Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et Lettres and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[7] He is also the namesake for the Richard Brettell Award in the Arts at UT Dallas, as well as the Dallas Museum of Art's Richard R. Brettell Lecture Series on 19th and 20th century European art.[8]

  1. ^ a b c "Dallas' Rick Brettell, a critic, museum director and UTD rainmaker extraordinaire, dies at 71". Dallas News. 2020-07-25. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  2. ^ Selvin, Claire (2020-07-29). "Richard Brettell, Impressionism Scholar Who Transformed Texas Art Scene, Has Died at 71". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  3. ^ "Why Rick Brettell was the most culturally 'important' man in Dallas". Dallas News. 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  4. ^ "Campaign Priorities | Transform the Arts on Campus". newdimensions.utdallas.edu. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  5. ^ "Why We Need To Make Rick Brettell's Dream of a Museum of Texas Art a Reality". D Magazine. 2020-07-27. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  6. ^ "Dallas critic leads call for a Texas Museum of Art". Dallas News. 2019-04-07. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  7. ^ "Dr. Richard Brettell - Endowed Chairs and Professorships - The University of Texas at Dallas". chairs.utdallas.edu. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  8. ^ "The Richard R. Brettell Lecture Series | Dallas Museum of Art". dma.org. Retrieved 2021-06-04.