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42:
276:, beginning a career with the Met that would last his entire adult life. From his initial position as an assistant in the Decorative Arts department he quickly rose through the ranks to become Curator of Medieval Art in 1934. Having worked closely with the previous curator, his mentor Joseph Breck, Rorimer used his new role to continue Breck's most important project: the planning and construction of
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While in
Germany, Rorimer was promoted to chief of the MFAA Section of the Seventh Army Western Military District, where he was tasked to uncover and preserve significant works of art stolen by the Nazis. By all accounts he relished his role as one of the "Monuments Men," and was responsible for
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In 1938, the
Cloisters opened and Rorimer was named its curator, a position which brought with it new duties as fundraiser and developer for the new collection. Among the pieces purchased by Rorimer for the Cloisters are many of the collection's modern-day "signature works", including
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As director of the Met, Rorimer proved a capable administrator, though his directorship was plagued by contentious battles with trustees and the museum's staff. Nonetheless, the Met acquired many new and significant works during his 11-year tenure, including
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He attended high school at the
University School in Cleveland. He spent 1920–1922 studying at the Ecole Gory in Paris before returning to complete his studies in the United States at
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and attendance at the museum tripled from 2 million to 6 million visitors annually. In
September and October 1965, under Rorimer's leadership, the Museum hosted the first
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362:. On Taylor's resignation in 1954, Rorimer was placed on the short list of candidates to fill his role, and he became director of the museum eight months later in 1955.
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After the war, Rorimer returned to the Met. In 1949, he became
Director of the Cloisters, reporting directly to the Met's director,
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719:"New Library Marks Milestone For Museum's Active Director; James Rorimer Will Now Push on for $ 4 Million Wing for American Art"
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and the art historian Walter Cooke. In 1927, Rorimer graduated from
Harvard, magna cum laude, with a degree in fine arts.
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607:"James Rorimer of Metropolitan, Duncan Phillips, Collector, Die; Mr. Rorimer JAMES J. RORIMER OF MUSEUM IS DEAD"
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in 1943. He was soon appointed to a job more suited to his specialized skills, as an officer of the
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483:"LOUIS RORIMER, 67, ARTIST, DECORATOR; Former Official of American Institute of Decorators Dies"
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695:"The Metropolitan Museum of Art records regarding International Council of Museums, 1951-1965"
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In 1942, Rorimer married
Katherine Serrell. They had two children, Anne and Louis.
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World War II “Monuments Men” Archival
Collections at the Archives of American Art
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213:(September 7, 1905 – May 11, 1966), was an American museum curator and former
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Rorimer's career at the Met was interrupted by the United States' entry into
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Rorimer was born in
Cleveland, Ohio, on September 7, 1905, the son of Edith (
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666:"ART MUSEUM ELECTIONS; J. J. Rorimer and D. C. Josephs Among Those Elevated"
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Rorimer was an inspiration for the character of James
Granger, portrayed by
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865:- online exhibition, includes digitized items from Rorimer's papers
642:. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Archived from
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James Rorimer. 'Survival: the salvage and protection of art in war
225:, a branch of the museum dedicated to the art and architecture of
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Rorimer died in his sleep on May 11, 1966, of a heart attack.
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636:"Artful Collaborators: James J. Rorimer and Rose Valland"
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While in Paris, Rorimer had an auspicious encounter with
229:. During World War II, Rorimer served in the U.S. Army's
775:"James Rorimer Left Cloisters to Excel in a Bigger Job"
315:(MFAA) in Normandy and Paris, and, later, in Germany.
253:, and their surname had originally been "Rohrheimer".
221:, where he was a primary force behind the creation of
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People associated with the Metropolitan Museum of Art
550:. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
457:"Encyclopedia of Cleveland History: RORIMER, LOUIS"
434:Survival: The Salvage and Protection of Art in War
360:Survival: The salvage and protection of art in war
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272:Immediately out of college, he was hired by the
354:. In 1950, Rorimer published an account of his
326:. During the German occupation of France, the
260:. At Harvard he studied under the museologist
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938:Directors of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
859:at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art
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853:at The Metropolitan Museum of Art Archives
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580:. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries
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373:Aristotle Contemplating the Bust of Homer
313:Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Section
280:, the new medieval extension to the Met.
231:Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Section
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574:"The James J. Rorimer Papers, 1927-1966"
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847:from The Cloisters Library and Archives
554:from the original on September 29, 2017
381:annual meeting held outside of Europe.
322:, an art historian and employee of the
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845:The James J. Rorimer Papers, 1927-1966
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820:. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1993.
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548:"James J. Rorimer papers, 1923-1982"
404:in the George Clooney-directed film
334:seizing the art collections of both
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693:Hartmann, Celia (August 14, 2013).
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811:Dictionary of Art Historians page
463:from the original on May 16, 2017
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324:Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume
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379:International Council of Museums
328:Reichsleiter Rosenberg Taskforce
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516:. Kent State University Press.
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640:Archives of American Art Blog
578:Cloisters Archives Collection
513:Louis Rorimer: a man of style
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410:, released in February 2014.
747:"James J. Rorimer 1905-1966"
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46:James Rorimer (right), 1944
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851:James J. Rorimer Records
818:Making the Mummies Dance
857:James J. Rorimer Papers
287:The Hunt of the Unicorn
27:American museum curator
806:. Abelard Press, 1950.
431:Rorimer, J.J. (1950).
958:People from Cleveland
948:American art curators
839:"The Rape of Europa."
880:Francis Henry Taylor
352:Francis Henry Taylor
211:James Joseph Rorimer
113:James Joseph Rorimer
82:Francis Henry Taylor
813:on James J. Rorimer
674:. 20 September 1955
646:on October 28, 2013
510:Piña, L.A. (1990).
237:Early life and work
841:November 24, 2008.
780:The New York Times
752:The New York Times
727:. January 26, 1965
724:The New York Times
671:The New York Times
612:The New York Times
488:The New York Times
396:In popular culture
358:experience called
309:United States Army
258:Harvard University
249:. His family was
199:Harvard University
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902:Succeeded by
872:Cultural offices
491:. 1 December 1939
407:The Monuments Men
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155:Katherine Serrell
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787:28 September
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245:Joseph) and
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188:Edith Joseph
145:New York, NY
141:(1966-05-11)
139:May 11, 1966
89:Succeeded by
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928:1966 deaths
923:1905 births
305:infantryman
77:Preceded by
917:Categories
899:1955–1966
650:10 October
584:10 October
558:10 October
414:References
402:Matt Damon
289:tapestries
194:Alma mater
119:1905-09-07
368:Rembrandt
181:Parent(s)
126:Cleveland
71:1955–1966
67:In office
702:Archived
552:Archived
461:Archived
340:Goebbels
215:director
173:Children
799:Sources
529:9 March
467:9 March
441:9 March
307:in the
217:of the
167:
159:
520:
336:Göring
268:Career
251:Jewish
150:Spouse
705:(PDF)
698:(PDF)
419:Notes
161:(
157:
835:WNET
789:2017
761:2017
733:2017
680:2017
652:2013
621:2017
586:2013
560:2013
531:2015
518:ISBN
497:2017
469:2015
443:2015
338:and
136:Died
130:Ohio
109:Born
831:PBS
370:'s
243:née
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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