Pioneering US scholar of Chinese art dies at 86
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The Rev. Henricus "Harrie" Vanderstappen, a leading scholar of Chinese
art believed to be one of the first Western scholars to master
Chinese, has died, the University of Chicago announced Friday. He was
86.
Vanderstappen, a faculty member at the university for more than 30
years, died on Jan. 25 of an apparent heart attack, officials said in
a statement.
After World War II, the Netherlands-born Vanderstappen and other
historians helped change how Chinese art was studied in the West, said
University of Chicago professor Wu Hung. For example, Vanderstappen
was one of the first Western scholars to master Chinese, he said.
The scholar also compiled the first comprehensive bibliography of
Western writing on Chinese art, which became a leading academic
resource.
"He had a tremendous presence in the classroom and excelled in making
people observe art with an intensity that bordered on a spiritual
experience," said Hans Thomsen, an assistant professor at the
University of Chicago.
Vanderstappen, ordained in 1945, was assigned to do missionary work in
China before the communist takeover. He ended up teaching art at Fu
Jen Catholic University there.
"What I had in mind was missionary work," he once said. "Instead - I
converted to art."
A Mass was celebrated for Vanderstappen on Monday, and University of
Chicago officials said a public memorial service would be held on
campus at a later date.