George Heard Hamilton

Born in Pittsburgh to Frank and Georgia Heard, Hamilton received three degrees from Yale University: a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1932, a Master of Arts in History in 1934, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Art History in 1942.[1] He wrote a doctoral dissertation on the artist Eugène Delacroix. In 1937, Hamilton attended the Coronation of George VI and Elizabeth with lifelong friend Elizabeth Wade White.

Hamilton began his curatorial career as a research assistant at the Walters Art Museum from 1934 to 1936, but then, returned to Yale to join the art history faculty.[2] In 1940, he was also named Curator of Modern Art at the Yale University Art Gallery, as well as a stint as Associate Director from 1946 to 1948.[3] Hamilton was named full professor in 1956 and remained there until 1966.[4] That year, Hamilton joined Williams College as Professor of Art History (until 1975) and Director of their Clark Art Institute (until 1977). He was a scholar of modern art and Russian art, focusing on such artists as Marcel Duchamp and Édouard Manet.

Hamilton died in Williamstown in 2004. Papers from Hamilton's tenure at Yale are held by the Yale University Library.[5]

• Guggenheim Fellowship (1958)
• Slade Professor of Fine Art, Cambridge University (1971)
• Wilbur Cross Medal (1976)

• List of people from Pittsburgh
• List of Williams College people
• List of Yale University people

• Dictionary of Art Historians profile
• Oxford Reference profile