Camfield, William

William “Bill” Camfield came to Rice University in 1969 as an Associate Professor of Art History. Prior to coming to Rice, he taught at the University of St. Thomas (1964-69) and came to Rice when Dominique and John deMenil left the sponsorship at St. Thomas and proposed moving those activities to Rice University.

He served as acting chairman of the Rice University Art Department in 1970-72 and again in 1999-2001. He became a full professor in 1977 and became the Joseph and Joanna Nazro Mullen Professor of Art History in 1980. He taught courses on European and American art and art history, Cubism, Dada and Surrealism. He has received grants and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the NEH, American Philosophical Society and ACLS.

Dr. Camfield originated the internship course that sends a number of Rice students to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston each semester. As a surprise at his retirement, the William A. Camfield Fellowship was announced. It will provide support to allow one Rice undergraduate per year to spend two semesters in a working internship at the museum.

He has published books on Frank Freed, Max Ernst, Marcel Duchamp and Francis Picabia and numerous articles. He received his B.A. in Art History in 1957 from Princeton University, and his MA (1961) and Ph.D. (1964) from Yale University.

Dr. Camfield retired from his teaching position at Rice in 2002.

From the guide to the William “Bill” Camfield papers MS 495., 1925-1997, bulk dates 1982-1990, (Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University, Houston, TX)