Clifford Ackley ’59 Honored by School of Architecture

The 2011 Ellis F. Lawrence Medal was presented to Clifford S. Ackley ’59 at the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts commencement on June 13. The medal is presented annually by the school and is its highest alumni honor.

Ackley, curator for over 40 years at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), serves as the MFA’s Ruth and Carl Shapiro Curator of Prints and Drawings, and as Chair, Department of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs, overseeing one of the world’s great collections of art on paper. The collection numbers some 200,000 objects ranging from the mid-15th century to the present, from Albrecht Dürer to Jasper Johns.

Originally from Tillamook, Oregon, Ackley studied art history and printmaking at UO from 1955-1959. After graduating, Ackley studied in the Netherlands on a Fulbright scholarship, then attended graduate school in art history at Harvard, where he had been admitted with guidance from his UO advisor, the eminent architectural historian and professor of art history, Marion Dean Ross.

At Harvard, he became interested in the history of print making, a fascination that began at UO when he took a studio course in lithography. After graduate school he returned to Europe, this time studying 17th century Dutch printmaking for two years at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the British Museum in London.

In 1980-81 he developed the ambitious exhibition and catalogue Printmaking in the Age of Rembrandt, still the only comprehensive study of Dutch printmaking from the late 16th century to 1700. The catalogue was awarded the College Art Association’s Alfred Barr Award for outstanding museum exhibition catalogues.

In 2003, Ackley focused on Rembrandt for a blockbuster exhibition and catalogue, Rembrandt’s Journey: Painter Draftsman, Etcher. Other major shows to which he has contributed have been devoted to Dürer, Goya, Degas, Nolde, early 20th century British modernist prints (Rhythms of Modern Life) and a series of contemporary print exhibitions (1969 to present).

Appreciation for Ackley has extended into the era of Web 2.0, with a recent Facebook post by Boston artist Ann Marie Scott that stated “BTW that was a GREAT article about the magnificent Cliff Ackley in Art New England! Cliff...you rock!”

The Ellis F. Lawrence Medal is awarded each year by the dean and the faculty of the UO School of Architecture and Allied Arts to a distinguished alumnus or alumna. Recipients are individuals whose professional and personal achievements embody the integrity, educational philosophy, and commitment to their chosen fields as exemplified by Lawrence, an outstanding teacher, leader, and nationally respected architect. Lawrence served as dean for thirty-two years from the founding of the school in 1914.