The Charles Lang Freer medal was established in 1956 by the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

in honor of

Charles Lang Freer Charles Lang Freer (February 25, 1854 – September 25, 1919) was an American industrialist, art collector, and patron. He is known for his large collection of East Asian, American, and Middle Eastern Art. In 1906, Freer donated his extensive col ...

, the founder of the Freer collection. The medal is conferred intermittently, honoring distinguished career contributions made by scholars in the history of art.

Recipients

* First – Osvald Siren, February 15, 1956. * Second –

Ernst Kühnel Ernst Kühnel (1882−1964) was a German art historian who specialized in Islamic art. He was notable for his research on the connection between Islamic and Coptic art, particularly in textiles. Kühnel served as director of the Museum of Islamic ...

, May 3, 1960. * Third – Yashiro Yukio, September 15, 1965. * Fourth – Tanaka Ichimatsu, May 2, 1973. * Fifth –

Laurence Sickman Laurence Chalfant Stevens Sickman (1907–1988) was an American academic, art historian, sinologist and Director of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. Education As a high school student, Sickman became interested in Japanese and C ...

, September 11, 1973. * Sixth –

Roman Ghirshman Roman Ghirshman (, ''Roman Mikhailovich Girshman''; October 3, 1895 – 5 September 1979) was a Russian-born French archeologist who specialized in ancient Persia. Ghirshman spent nearly thirty years excavating ancient Persian archeological ...

, January 16, 1974. * Seventh –

Max Loehr Max Loehr (4 December 1903 - 16 September 1988) was an art historian and professor of Chinese art at Harvard University from 1960 to 1974. As an authority on Chinese art, Loehr published eight books and numerous articles on ancient Chinese paint ...

, May 2, 1983. * Eighth –

Stella Kramrisch Stella Kramrisch (May 29, 1896 – August 31, 1993) was an American pioneering art historian and curator who was the leading specialist on Indian art for most of the 20th century. Her scholarship remains a benchmark to this day. She researched ...

, 1985. * Ninth –

Alexander Coburn Soper III Alexander Coburn Soper III (February 18, 1904 – January 13, 1993) was an American art historian who specialized in Asian art. He was a longtime editor of the journal ''Artibus Asiae'' and professor at the Institute of Fine Arts of New York Univ ...

, 1990. * Tenth –

Sherman Lee Sherman Emery Lee (April 19, 1918 – July 9, 2008) was an American academic, writer, art historian and expert on Asian art. He was Director of the Cleveland Museum of Art from 1958 to 1983.Weber, Bruce "Sherman Lee, Who Led Cleveland Museum, Di ...

, 1998. * Eleventh –

Oleg Grabar Oleg Grabar (November 3, 1929 – January 8, 2011) was a French-born art historian and archeologist, who spent most of his career in the United States, as a leading figure in the field of Islamic art and architecture. Academic career O ...

, 2001. *Twelfth– James F. Cahill, 2010. *Thirteenth–

John M. Rosenfield John Max Rosenfield (October 9, 1924 – December 16, 2013) was an American art historian, with a specialization in Japanese art. He began teaching at Harvard University in 1968, and was later the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Professor of East A ...

, 2012. *Fourteenth–

Jessica Rawson Dame Jessica Mary Rawson, (born 20 January 1943) is an English art historian, curator and sinologist. She is also an academic administrator, specialising in Chinese art. After many years at the British Museum, she was Warden (head) of Merton C ...

, 2017.

Notes

References

* Soper, Alexander. (1990)
''A Case of Meaningful Magic.''
Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. * Freer Gallery of Art. (1960)
''The Charles Lang Freer medal, February 25, 1956.''
Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. * __________. (1973)
''Fifth presentation of the Charles Lang Freer medal, September 11, 1973.''
Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. * __________. (1956)
''First presentation of the Charles Lang Freer medal, February 25, 1956.''
Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. * __________. (1973)
''Fourth presentation of the Charles Lang Freer Medal, May 2, 1973.''
Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. * __________. (1960)
''Second presentation of the Charles Lang Freer medal, May 3, 1960.''
Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. * __________. (1983)
''Seventh presentation of the Charles Lang Freer Medal, May 2, 1983.''
Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. * __________. (1974)
''Sixth presentation of the Charles Lang Freer medal, January 16, 1974.''
Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. * __________. (1998)
''Tenth Presentation of the Charles Lang Freer Medal, Sherman E. Lee.''
Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. * __________. (1965)
''Third presentation of the Charles Lang Freer medal, September 15, 1965.''
Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. * Roades, Katharine N. (1960)
"An Appreciation of Charles Lang Freer (1859-1919),"
''Ars Orientalis.'' Vol. 2.

External links

* Smithsonian
Freer medal, obverse image reverse image
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles Lang Freer Medal Arts awards in the United States Awards established in 1956 Smithsonian Institution 1956 establishments in the United States