“The challenges are great, both financial and political, but there is a far higher degree of respect and cooperation between art historians in the various spheres of our domain than in the U.S.,” he says.

At the farewell party last December, the Fogg displayed over 70 new pieces donated to the collection in Cuno’s honor, including an original ballerina drawing by Degas, Cuno’s favorite artist.

By all accounts, Cuno was devoted to the art museums’ role in education. He taught an art history course and a popular freshman seminar.

“It’s almost hard to think back to where we were when he arrived,” says Abrams Curator of Drawings William W. Robinson. “In every area, there’s been a tremendous leap in the level of activity and quality of programming, acquisitions and lectures.”

Robinson says he admired Cuno’s directing style as well.

“He had a great sense of how directors and curators should work together,” Robinson says. “He made it easier for whatever the curators wanted to do. That’s very rare in a director to have the balance of supporting and enabling without domineering.”

Another Brick in the Wall

Cuno left in the wake of the University’s decision to ditch a project creating a new museum in Cambridge’s Riverside neighborhood.

Riverside community members fiercely opposed development of a new museum on the Mahoney’s Garden Center plot. After two years of wrangling, the proposal was shelved.

“I very much would have wanted to have completed our building projects,” Cuno says. “These are crucial to the life of the Art Museums and to their continuing contribution to the teaching, research and cultural life of the University.”

There are no plans to revive the proposals.

“It’s really just no longer part of the portfolio,” Cohn says.

Cohn says efforts now focus on maximizing the potential of existing space, especially by renovating the Fogg, which has not been worked on since 1927. With no way to manage the temperature in the building, curators say they cannot show certain works for fear of damage.

In addition to creating a climate controlled environment, the building must undergo major repairs in plumbing and wiring and increase disability access.

The plans also call for drastic reorganization of the existing museums’ collections.