Background
Heckscher, Morrison Harris was born on December 12, 1940 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Son of Gustave Adolph and Anna (Harris) Heckscher.
(American Furniture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Lat...)
American Furniture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Late Colonial Period: The Queen Anne and Chippendale Styles
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/039455101X/?tag=2022091-20
( Here at last is the publication that documents The Metr...)
Here at last is the publication that documents The Metropolitan Museum of Art's superlative collection of late colonial furniture. This comprehensive catalogue—prodigiously researched and gloriously illustrated—presents 213 of the finest objects in the Museum's American Wing. These masterpieces of eighteenth-century furniture are fully described and considered in light of comparative pieces from collections across the country. For every object the author gives detailed information about provenance, construction, condition, inscriptions if any, dimensions, and materials. The volume will stand as the quintessential sourcebook for collectors and a tour de force of scholarship in the field. In his foreword, Philippe de Montebello, director of the Metropolitan, says: "The Museum's highest priority is to communicate fully and exhaustively what is known about its collections in catalogues such as the present one. The first of three volumes covering the entire field of American furniture, it is devoted to the achievements of American cabinet- and chairmakers in the mid-eighteenth century, and in it curator Morrison Heckscher is able to furnish not only both a synoptic and detailed account of the period, but also invaluable information on methods of manufacture and on stylistic considerations, since his points of departure are the objects themselves, ultimately the most direct and secure evidence from which accurate conclusions can be drawn." The catalogue contains an appendix of photographic details, a complete bibliography, and indexes. (This book was originally published in 1985/86.)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300192908/?tag=2022091-20
( The rococo style was among the primary artistic contri...)
The rococo style was among the primary artistic contributions of the eighteenth century. Its manifestations throughout Europe have been comprehensively acknowledged and chronicled, but its influence in America, where it was probably the century's crowning design achievement (commonly referred to as the Chippendale style), had never been thoroughly examined. It was a lavish taste that found surprisingly fertile ground in the colonies, where affluent members of society, rejoicing in their hard-won prosperity, strove to adopt London fashions. The exhibition, "American Rococo, 1750–1775: Elegance in Ornament" was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the latter's motivations emanating from the desire to bring an exhibition of American Chippendale furniture to a city where such objects have always been in short supply. The book includes chapters on European origins and the American manifestations of the rococo, a brief discussion of firearms, and architecture, and medium-based explorations of objects made of paper, silver, wood, iron, glass, and ceramic. This book was originally published in 1992 and has gone out of print. This edition is a print-on-demand version of the original book.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0810964120/?tag=2022091-20
museum curator architectural historian
Heckscher, Morrison Harris was born on December 12, 1940 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Son of Gustave Adolph and Anna (Harris) Heckscher.
Bachelor, Wesleyan University, 1962. Master of Arts, University Delaware, 1964. Doctor of Philosophy, Columbia University, 1986.
Assistant curator, American Wing, Metropolitan Museum Art, New York City, 1968-1972;
associate curator, American Wing, Metropolitan Museum Art, New York City, 1973;
curator, American Wing, Metropolitan Museum Art, New York City, 1973-1978;
curator, American Decorative Arts, Metropolitan Museum Art, New York City, since 1978. President American Friends Attingham, 1982-1986, Society Winterthur Fellows, 1987-1991. Board directors Scenic Hudson Inc.
Trustee Winterthur Museum, since 1993.
( Here at last is the publication that documents The Metr...)
(American Furniture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Lat...)
(Chronicles the origins of the Rococo style in furniture a...)
( The rococo style was among the primary artistic contri...)
Member Society Architectural Historians (director 1973-1976, president local chapter 1973-1975), Furniture History Society, Strawbery Banke (overseer 1973-1979) Clubs: Century Association (New York City).
Married Fenella Greig, May 18, 1974.