Craig Hugh Smyth (1915–2006) was an American art historian who studied Renaissance art, with a special emphasis on the artist Bronzino. During World War II, he established the Allied Munich Central Collecting Point for Nazi-looted art, as part of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program.

Biography

Smyth attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

, where he earned his BA (1938), MFA (1941), and PhD (1956), all in art history. He joined the naval reserve during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and soon became part of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives division. As an MFAA officer, in 1945 he established the Allied collecting point in Munich. After the war, he led the first academic program in

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

in the United States at the

New York University Institute of Fine Arts The Institute of Fine Arts (IFA) of New York University is dedicated to graduate teaching and advanced research in the history of art, archaeology and the conservation and technology of works of art. It offers Master of Arts and Doctor of Philoso ...

(1950-1973). He was also the director of Harvard University's Center for Italian Renaissance Studies at

Villa I Tatti Villa I Tatti, The Harvard Center for Italian Renaissance Studies is a center for advanced research in the humanities located in Florence, Italy, and belongs to Harvard University. It houses a collection of Italian primitives, and of Chinese and ...

in Florence (1973-1985). He was a member of both the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

(1978) and the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

(1979).

Works and publications

*Renaissance Studies in Honor of Craig Hugh Smyth. Florence: Giunti Barbèra, 1985 *Bronzino Studies (with a Book of) Illustrations. Princeton University, 1956 (dissertation) *Mannerism and Maniera. Locust Valley, NY: J. J. Augustin, 1963 *Lukehart, Peter M. The Early Years of Art History in the United States: Notes and Essays on Departments, Teaching, and Scholars. Princeton, NJ: Dept. of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University, 1993 *Bronzino as Draughtsman; an Introduction. Locust Valley, NY: J. J. Augustin 1971 *Garfagnini, Gian Carlo. Florence and Milan: Comparisons and Relations: Acts of Two Conferences at Villa I Tatti in 1982-1984. 2 vols. Florence: La Nuova Italia editrice, 1989; *Repatriation of Art from the Collecting Point in Munich after World War II. The Hague: Gary Schwartz/SDU, 1988; *Millon, Henry A. Michelangelo architetto: la facciata di San Lorenzo e la cupola di San Pietro. Milan: Olivetti, 1988, (English: Michelangelo Architect: the Facade of San Lorenzo and the Drum and Dome of St. Peter's. Milan: Olivetti, 1988)

Notes and references

External links

Interviews with art historians 1991-2002
Interviews with art historians 1991-2002 Getty Research Institute
Craig Hugh Smyth Papers
at the National Gallery of Art {{DEFAULTSORT:Smyth, Craig Hugh. 1915 births 2006 deaths American art historians Monuments men Art and cultural repatriation after World War II United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy officers Members of the American Philosophical Society