Jack Cowart (born 1945) is an executive director of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, who has held leadership positions at numerous American art museums including the

Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Overview The Corcoran School of the Arts & Design ...

and the National Gallery of Art in addition to being an expert on

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, and sculptur ...

and Roy Lichtenstein.

Biography

He became interested in art history during the period of studying at the

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

, where he considered a career as a stained-glass craftsman. In 1972, he received his Ph.D. in the history of art from

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

, where he got a full scholarship. After he finished university, he started working for the

Wadsworth Atheneum The Wadsworth Atheneum is an art museum in Hartford, Connecticut. The Wadsworth is noted for its collections of European Baroque art, ancient Egyptian and Classical bronzes, French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School lands ...

in Hartford, Conn. There he was a curator of a series of small shows, which were focused on new art and new ideas. Later he got a job at the St. Louis Art Museum, where he was in charge of a show of

Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, and sculptur ...

cutouts, "Expressions: New Art From Germany", the first survey of German neoexpressionist painting. Then Cowart took over the position of head of the department of 20th-century art at the National Gallery of Art (1983-1992), where he helped Herb and Dorothy Vogel find a home for their collection, supervised the transfer humorously portrayed in the film '' Herb and Dorothy'', and laid the groundwork for their donation of 50 works each to 50 states. His main exhibitions for the National Gallery were ''"Henri Matisse: The Early Years in Nice, 1916-1930"'' in 1987 and many others, which were focusing on

Georgia O'Keeffe Georgia Totto O'Keeffe (November 15, 1887 – March 6, 1986) was an American modernist artist. She was known for her paintings of enlarged flowers, New York skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes. O'Keeffe has been called the "Mother of Ame ...

Rauschenberg Milton Ernest "Robert" Rauschenberg (October 22, 1925 – May 12, 2008) was an American painter and graphic artist whose early works anticipated the Pop art movement. Rauschenberg is well known for his Combine painting, Combines (1954–1964), a ...

and ''Ellsworth Kelly: The Years in France''. Cowart was then deputy director-chief curator and executive director at the

. After seven years at the Corcoran, Cowart became the head of the Lichtenstein Foundation. Throughout his career, Jack Cowart has launched exhibits such as ''Henri Matisse Paper Cut-Outs'' in 1977 and ''Roy Lichtenstein 1979-1980'' that opened in St. Louis in 1981 and then traveled to the hitney Museumin New York under the title “Lichtenstein Insights/Oversight.” He has published widely on

, Roy Lichtenstein, and other American and European 20th-century modern and contemporary artists. In 2001, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication awarded him a Chevalair de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres."Lichtenstein Foundation"

Personal life

He is married and with wife Susan, who is a systems engineer, lived in France from 1969 to 1971 working on his

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

Books

* ''Matisse in Morocco: The Paintings and Drawings, 1912-1913'' * ''Henri Matisse: the Early Years in Nice, 1916-1930'' * Georgia O'Keeffe: Art and Letters * Roy Lichtenstein, 1970-1980 * Roy Lichtenstein (German edition) * Lichtenstein in Process * Expressions: A New Art from Germany: Georg Baselitz, Jörg Immendorfl, Ardem Kiegler, Markius Liperlz, A.R. Peneck * Thomas Rozkovski: Twenty-Four Paintings * Address, Battle of Monmuth * Henley Southeastern Spectrum: Seventh Annual Jurored Exhibitions * ROCI: Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange * Proof Positive: Forty Years of Contemporary American Printmaking

References

External links

"Conversations with Artists Series" National Gallery of Art. 14 October 1981

"Jack Cowart Papers 1969-1991" Baltimore Museum of Art
* Joanna Shaw-Eagle, "Curator Shapes Unique View of Lichtenstein's Art Cowart to Head Artist's Foundation in New York" 10 July 1999 ''Washington Times'', D5.
Jo Ann Lewis, "Jack Cowart & the Century's Trove; A National Gallery Curator, Winning through Innovation" 24 February 1987 ''The Washington Post'', C01
* "Arts Update" 7 September 1997''Daily Press,''T3. * Jo Ann Lewis, "A 300-Proof Show; At the Cororan, Prints with Plenty of Kick" 16 March 1997 ''The Washington Post'', G05. * Jo Ann Lewis, "A Treasure Hunt for America's Finest; Corcoran Mixes its Best with Beauties from N.Y.'s Century Club" 2 August 1993 ''The Washington Post,'' B01. * Jo Ann Lewis, "Modernity, but Modestly; The NGA, Setting its Acquisition Sights Carefully" 18 December 1988 ''The Washington Post'', G05. * Martha Baker, "Southwestern Bell Underwrites O'Keefe Exhibit" 23 March 1987 7:26 ''St. Louis Business Journal'', 15A. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cowart, Jack 1945 births Living people American art curators American art historians