Faculty

We are saddened by the passing of our dear colleague Aaron Sheon on November 8, 2015.  Professor Sheon began his 47 years of teaching in our department in 1966, immediately after he completed his PhD at Princeton University.  His dissertation research on Adolphe Monticelli took him to the Sorbonne in Paris on a Fulbright research grant in 1962.  He also worked between 1963 and 1966 at the United Nations Education and Scientific Office in Paris.  His earliest publications explored the work of Monticelli in relation to that of his contemporary, Cézanne, and the connections between Monticelli’s artistic career and Vincent Van Gogh. 

In 1978-79, Professor Sheon curated and wrote the exhibition catalogue for a show dedicated to the work of Monticelli and his circle that appeared first at the Carnegie Museum and then traveled to the Toronto Art Gallery, the Corcoran Museum in Washington DC, and the Rijksmuseum Vincent Van Gogh in Amsterdam.   Other exhibitions curated by Professor Sheon took place at the Columbus Museum of Art, the Museum of Art in Marseilles, and in the University of Pittsburgh Art Gallery.  In addition to exhibition catalogues, his path finding publications include his writings on “Van Gogh’s Understanding of Theories of Degeneration, Neurosis and Neurasthenia in the 1880s.”  This work formed part of Professor Sheon’s long-standing interest in the relationship between art and psychoanalysis.

Complementing his courses on Monticelli, Cézanne, and Van Gogh, Professor Sheon also taught classes on 19^th century French Realism and Impressionism and surveys of modern sculpture and photography.   He was an extremely popular professor known for his profound commitment to helping students from all levels and backgrounds.  It was no surprise to any of us that his classes were fully subscribed each term.  Over his 47 years in our department, Aaron’s teaching, writings, and exhibitions touched the lives and shaped an understanding of art for literally thousands of people.  Among his many teaching commendations, he received the David and Tina Bellet Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2002.  He also served as Director of Undergraduate Studies in our department for a number of years, where his empathy and compassion for undergraduate and graduate students alike helped build History of Art and Architecture into the highly regarded department it is today.

We will miss Aaron’s scholarly expertise and his outstanding example as a teacher and mentor.  And his mentoring extended to his junior colleagues as well, who all remember him as eager to help them get oriented to Pittsburgh and the department.  He also took genuine interest in helping them, in addition to all his many students, to build their careers.   Aaron did all of this with deep humanity and an unfailingly gentle sense of humor we will not forget

A scholarship fund has been established in Aaron’s name, to enable students to study art in Paris.  Contributions may be made to the Aaron Sheon Memorial Fund, University of Pittsburgh, Office of Institutional Advancement, 128 N. Craig Street, Pittsburgh, PA  15260.