Richard Brilliant

Richard Brilliant
Born(1929-11-20)November 20, 1929
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedAugust 8, 2024(2024-08-08) (aged 94)
New York City, U.S.
Occupation
  • Art historian
  • university professor
  • writer
NationalityAmerican
EducationBoston Latin School
Yale College (BA, MA, PhD)
Harvard Law School (LLB)
Spouse
Eleanor Luria
(m. 1952)
Children4
Richard Brilliant, Historian of ancient art

Richard Brilliant (November 20, 1929 – August 8, 2024) was an American art historian, academic, and writer whose work combines a specialist knowledge of ancient Greek and Roman art with overarching themes in the history and theory of art (e.g. semiotics, portraiture, narrative, and historiography). As noted by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he “transformed the field of classical art, opening it up to new critical methods of historical and stylistic analysis.”[1] His publications have been considered landmarks in the field, and have raised the reputation of Roman art, especially that of the later period, which had been disparaged by earlier nineteenth and twentieth pro-Greek critics and scholars. Encouraged by his broad vision and scope of interests, his students have pursued significant careers as academics, researchers, and practitioners in the field of classical art history.

  1. ^ "Richard Brilliant". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. September 13, 2023.