Lorenz E. A. Eitner *52 Lorenz E. A. Eitner, the Osgood Hooker Professor in Fine Arts emeritus at Stanford University, died of a heart attack March 11, 2009. He was 89.
Eitner graduated from Duke summa cum laude in 1940. He then enrolled in the Princeton Graduate School, withdrawing in 1943 to join the Army and the O.S.S. Returning to Princeton in 1946, Eitner received an M.F.A. in 1948, and then a Ph.D. in art in 1952.
After Princeton, he taught at the University of Minnesota. In 1963, he became chair of Stanford’s department of art and director of its art museum — positions he held until his retirement in 1989.
In 1986, Eitner received Stanford’s highest award for excellence in teaching. He wrote or co-authored a dozen books on art, and was considered an authority on 18th- and 19th-century European art.
Eitner is credited with guiding a long-moribund art museum through a significant period of growth. It is now known as the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Center for the Arts. With little money, he acquired key paintings and sculptures and built a highly acclaimed drawing collection — always with an eye to teaching.
Eitner is survived by his wife of 62 years, Trudi; three daughters; and one granddaughter, Stephanie Neidig ’08.
Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.