Diana Kleiner

American art historian

Fred Scott Kleiner

(m. 1972)

Children1 (Alexander)Academic backgroundAlma materSmith College
Columbia UniversityThesisRoman Group Portraiture: The Funerary Reliefs of the Late Republic and Early Empire (1977)Academic workDisciplineArt historySub-disciplineAncient Roman art and architectureInstitutionsYale UniversityNotable studentsRomita Ray

Diana Elizabeth Edelman Kleiner (September 18, 1947 – November 12, 2023) was an American art historian and educator. A scholar of Ancient Roman art and architecture, Kleiner was the Dunham Professor of the History of Art Emerita at Yale University.

Career

Born in New York City to Morton Henry and Hilda Rachel Wyner Edelman, Kleiner received a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College in 1969. She then continued on to Columbia University to earn degrees in Art History: a Master of Arts in 1970, a Master of Philosophy in 1974, and Doctor of Philosophy in 1977. Kleiner wrote a highly praised doctoral dissertation on Roman funerary art.

Kleiner began her teaching career as a lecturer in art history at the University of Virginia in 1975. A year later, she was named Assistant Professor of Art History at Harvard University. In 1980, Kleiner was hired by Yale University, and was promoted to Associate Professor two years later. In 1989, she became the Dunham Professor of the History of Art, a position held until retirement, when she was named Emeritus.^[1] Additionally, from 1995 to 2003, Kleiner was the Deputy Provost for the Arts from 1995 to 2003.^[2]

Personal life

In 1972, Kleiner married fellow art historian Fred Scott Kleiner, Professor of Art History and Archeology Emeritus at Boston University. The couple met at Columbia and have one child, Alexander.^[3] In 2020, the Kleiners had the Saloni room at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens named in their honor.^[4] In 2023 the Kleiners named the Athenian Agora Courtyard Garden^[5] and the Hesperia Room^[6] at Loring hall, the School's residence hall.

Kleiner died on November 12, 2023, at the age of 76.^[7]

In 2024, the fitness room in Loring Hall was named by Fred Kleiner in tribute to his late wife. Kleiner was considered an esteemed member of the American School community. ^[8]

Select works

Roman Imperial Funerary Altars with Portraits, 1987 ISBN 9788876890796
Cleopatra and Rome, 2005 ISBN 9780674032361
Roman Architecture: A Visual Guide, 2014 ISBN 9780300208016

References

^ "Diana e. E. Kleiner | Faculty of Arts and Sciences".
^ "Diana Kleiner | Department of the History of Art".
^ "Diana Edelman Wed to Fred Scott Kleiner". The New York Times. 23 December 1972.
^ "Diana e. E. And Fred S. Kleiner Name Saloni in New Student Center | American School of Classical Studies at Athens".
^ "Kleiners Name Athenian Agora Courtyard Garden at Loring Hall".
^ "Kleiners Name Room in Honor of Hesperia".
^ The New York Times (November 19, 2023). "Diana Kleiner Obituary (2023)". Legacy.com. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
^ "Fred Kleiner Names Fitness Room in Memory of Diana Kleiner".