Gerald M. Ackerman *64

Gerald Ackerman, a recognized art historian and professor emeritus at Pomona College, died peacefully Jan. 1, 2016. He was 87.

Ackerman graduated from UC, Berkeley in 1952, and then studied in Germany. He earned an MFA and a Ph.D. degree in art from Princeton. He had taught at Bryn Mawr before later joining Stanford as an associate professor. In 1970, he went to Pomona College where he became chair of the art and art history department.

He was a scholar of 19th-century art and was known for his book on Jean Léon Gérôme, the French painter and sculptor whom he helped re-introduce to the art world. He published many books and articles on American and European art and academic theory.

Ackerman also is known for his book, Bargue-Gérôme Drawing Course, written with the artist Graydon Parrish, which is assigned reading in many art and drawing classes in schools across the country. Among his honors, he received the Order of Arts and Letters from France and a medal from the French minister of culture in 2012.

He was predeceased in 2014 by Leonard R. Simon, his life partner of 52 years. He is survived by two siblings and many nieces and nephews.

Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.