Aline Bernstein Louchheim
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Aline Bernstein Saarinen (March 25, 1914 – July 13, 1972) was an American art and architecture critic, author and television journalist.


Birth and education

Aline Bernstein was born on March 25, 1914, in New York City, the daughter of Irma (Lewyn) and Allen Milton Bernstein, both of German Jewish descent. Her father was the head of an investment firm and an amateur painter. Her mother also painted, and she was encouraged to take an interest in the arts. In 1931, she graduated from the
Ethical Culture Fieldston School Ethical Culture Fieldston School (ECFS), also referred to as Fieldston, is a private independent school in New York City. The school is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League. The school serves approximately 1,700 students with 480 facult ...
in Riverdale, in the Bronx, and from there then went to
Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...
, where she studied art and developed an interest in journalism. She graduated in 1935 with an A.B. degree. On 17 June 1935 Aline married Joseph H. Louchheim, a public welfare administrator. The same year she enrolled at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...
's
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 ...
to study the History of Architecture, graduating with an A.M. degree in 1941. She had two sons during this period, Donald in 1937, and Harry in 1939.


Art and architecture critic

Aline obtained a job with '' Art News'' magazine in 1944, becoming managing editor from 1946 to 1948. From 1948 to 1953 she was associate art editor and critic at ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', and published articles on art and cultural trends in various magazines. She frequently wrote about modern architecture and the link between modern art and architecture. Aline divorced Joseph Louchheim in 1951. In January 1953 she went to Detroit to interview the Finnish-born architect
Eero Saarinen Eero Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1910 – September 1, 1961) was a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer noted for his wide-ranging array of designs for buildings and monuments. Saarinen is best known for designing the General Motors ...
, who had recently been acclaimed for his General Motors Technical Center. They were attracted to each other at once. Her profile of Saarinen, titled ''Now Saarinen the Son'', appeared in ''
The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine Supplement (publishing), supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted man ...
'' on 23 April 1953. She married Saarinen in 1954, moving to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where his firm had its headquarters. After their marriage, Aline stopped writing on architecture owing to potential conflict of interest. She continued writing for the ''Times'' as an associate art critic, now using the byline Aline B. Saarinen. She became "Head of Information Service" at Eero Saarinen & Associates, a job that included bringing her husband's work to the attention of magazine editors with whom she had once worked. In December that year they had a son, Eames. In 1957, Aline was awarded a
Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...
with which she wrote the best selling book ''The Proud Possessors'', a collection of biographies of American art collectors. Eero died suddenly in 1961. Aline stayed with the firm while unfinished projects were completed and in 1962 edited the book ''Eero Saarinen on His Work''.


Television

In 1962, Saarinen first appeared on television, discussing art. The show was successful, leading to demand for more appearances. In the fall of 1963 she became art and architecture editor for NBC's ''Sunday'' show, and art critic for their ''Today'' show. She discussed a broad range of topics with a lively and original style. She also made many specials and documentaries, including ''The Art of Collecting'', which aired in January 1964. In October 1964 she became a correspondent for NBC News, the third NBC woman reporter after Pauline Frederick and
Nancy Dickerson Nancy Dickerson (January 19, 1927 – October 18, 1997) was an American radio and television journalist and researcher for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. As famous as a celebrity and socialite as she was for her journalism, she later ...
. Again, she covered a broad range of subjects. Saarinen was moderator on the show '' For Women Only'', in which a panel answered questions from the audience, including ones on subjects such as birth control and abortion. During the 1960s, she served on the Design Advisory Committee of the Federal Aviation Administration, the
U.S. Commission of Fine Arts The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) is an independent agency of the federal government of the United States, and was established in 1910. The CFA has review (but not approval) authority over the "design and aesthetics" of all construction with ...
from 1963 to 1971, and the New York State Council of the Arts. In 1970, Saarinen prepared a one-hour NBC program in celebration of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Centennial. In 1971, she was made head of NBC's Paris News Bureau, making her the first woman to run a network foreign bureau. She held this position until her death from a brain tumor on 13 July 1972.


Recognition

Aline Saarinen was given the International Award for Best Foreign Criticism at the
Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...
in 1951. She received the Frank Jewett Mather Award for best newspaper art criticism in 1953, and the American Federation of Arts Award for best newspaper criticism in 1956. In 1964, she turned down an offer from President Lyndon B. Johnson of the post of ambassador to Finland. Aline was awarded an honorary degree by the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
in 1964 and another by the
Russell Sage College Russell Sage College (often Russell Sage or RSC) is a co-educational college with two campuses located in Albany and Troy, New York, approximately north of New York City in the Capital District. Russell Sage College offers both undergraduate ...
in 1967.


Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saarinen, Aline 1914 births 1972 deaths American art critics American people of German-Jewish descent American architecture critics Writers from New York City Vassar College alumni New York University alumni American women television journalists Jewish American writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers NBC News people Deaths from brain cancer in the United States 20th-century American architects 20th-century American Jews