Hope, Henry R. (Henry Radford), 1905-1989

Henry Radford Hope was an internationally acclaimed art critic and historian who joined the Indiana University faculty in 1941. His tenure included 27 years as the chair of the School of Fine Arts as well as the establishment of the Indiana University Art Museum in 1961.

From the description of Henry R. Hope papers, 1932-1967. (Indiana University). WorldCat record id: 707619809

Henry Radford Hope was born December 12, 1905, in Chelsea, Massachusetts. He began his studies at Columbia University in 1925, but left in 1927 to begin work in a cosmetics firm in New York. He married Dorothy ( Dotty ) Weil on April 11, 1927 and in 1931 following his contraction of tuberculoses they traveled to Switzerland for him to recuperate.

While in Europe, Hope began to study foreign languages and visiting art galleries. He decided to move to Paris, where he studied at Ecole du Louvre (special school for curators funded by the Louvre Museum) in 1936 and at the Universite de Paris (Sorbonne) where he lectured on the history of art from 1937-1938 eventually earning the certificate d’histoire de l’art in 1938 specializing in Medieval art.

In 1938 he returned to the United States and began studying at Harvard, where he earned both his M.A. and Ph.D. in art history. In 1939 he was appointed Assistant in Fine Arts at Harvard and taught art history. He also taught Fine Arts at the Stuart School for Girls in Boston.

Hope came to Indiana University in 1941 when he accepted a position to chair the visual arts program in the Fine Arts Department. Under his guidance, the Fine Arts Department became the School of Fine Arts and moved from Mitchell Hall into its own building on Showalter Fountain Plaza. On June 3, 1944, he married for the second time to Sarahanne Sally Adams. In 1948, he and his second wife, Sally, established the Hope Fund to start a collection of prints, drawings, and water colors for Indiana University. He received the Brown Derby award in 1958, which is given annually to the most popular professor at Indiana University. Hope also helped to found the Society of the Friends of Art of Indiana University in 1965. He served as chairman of the School of Fine Arts for 27 years from 1941 to 1968.

With the help of then President Wells, Hope was able to achieve his dream for IU the establishment of the IU Art Museum in 1961. At that time, the galleries were located in the Fine Arts building, as the current Indiana University Art Museum was not dedicated until 1982. Hope served as Museum Director from 1961 to 1971.

Hope retired in 1971, and he and Sally moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. During a 1989 visit to IU for a dedication ceremony of the Indiana Totem in his and Sally's honor, Dr. Hope suffered a heart attack and died shortly thereafter.

Prof. Hope was an internationally acclaimed art critic and historian, and his book on Georges Braque is thought to be the definitive work on the artist. He curated important exhibitions on Braque (1949) and Lipchitz (1954) for the Museum of Modern Art and wrote biographical catalogues for both exhibits. In addition to his position as Chair of the Fine Arts Department, Hope also served as editor of the College Art Journal for 24 years (1945-1949; 1953-1973) and as a consulting editor for 6 years (1973-1979). He also served as chairman of the editorial board of the Magazine of Art (1950-1951 and 1958-1961). He was elected president of the Midwestern College Art Conference in 1949, 1951, and 1952, and was president of the College Art Association for 3 consecutive years (1949-1951). In 1951, he was appointed by the U.S. Department of State as a delegate on art activities to the U.S. Commission on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). He served the organization as adviser on cultural affairs from 1951 to 1963.

Henry Radford Hope is survived by four sons and two daughters: Peter McClennen, James McLennen, and Helen (McLennen) Miller from his first marriage and Roy Hope and William Ray Hope (twins), and Sarahjane (Hope) Chelminski from his second marriage.

From the guide to the Henry R. Hope papers, 1932-1967, (Indiana University Office of University Archives and Records Management http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives)