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Turner, Evan H.

 Person

Biography

Evan H. Turner (born 1927), an art historian and scholar, was the Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) from 1964 to 1978, leading the Museum through a period of significant growth and transformation. He created new art departments for American and 20th Century Art, and the innovative Department of Urban Outreach (DUO) to promote art across the City of Philadelphia. These progressive activities were matched by a groundbreaking exhibition in 1973, the Marcel Duchamp retrospective, which drew upon significant scholarship and assembled virtually the entire oeuvre of one of the most important artists represented in the Museum. In 1975, Turner led the Museum in a major construction project to install a new climate control system in the building, and in 1976, he helped plan the United States’ Bicentennial and the PMA’s Centennial celebrations. Turner was an active member of a number of professional organizations, as well as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Evan H. Turner Records

 Collection
Identifier: TUR
Abstract Evan H. Turner was an art historian, scholar, and Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) from 1964 to 1978. A mix of correspondence, inter-office memoranda, reports, minutes and other records document Turner’s role in the museum’s growth and transformation during that time, as well as exhibition and event planning, and the daily operations of the museum. The collection also reflects Turner’s work with professional organizations, his efforts to help the city of Philadelphia to plan...
Dates: 1964-1978

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  • Subject: Arts X