{{Short description|American art historian (1947–2019)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}} {{Use British English|date=July 2019}} '''Sharon Cather''' (5 August 1947 – 6 June 2019<ref>[https://www.thetimes.com/article/sharon-cather-obituary-djwxmnrpw Sharon Cather obituary]</ref>), Shelby White and Leon Levy Professor of Conservation Studies, was an art historian who taught at Cambridge University and was a professor at the Courtauld Institute of Art, where she specialised in the preservation of wall paintings.<ref name=Times/><ref name=CIA/>
==Early life and education== Cather was born at Berkeley, California, and graduated in art history from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She spent ten years working in the art department offices there, before undertaking MA study at Princeton University and going on to undertake PhD work under Professor John Shearman on Sebastiano Serlio.<ref name="us6.campaign-archive.com">Salon (Society of Antiquaries of London Online Newsletter), issue 430, Society of Antiquaries of London, 4 July 2019 URL= https://us6.campaign-archive.com/?u=5557bc147d34993782f185bde&id=13290bc5db</ref>
==Career== From 1981 to 1982, Cather was at the American Academy in Rome, assisting Professor Irving Lavin with an exhibition on Gian Lorenzo Bernini's drawings.<ref name="us6.campaign-archive.com"/> From 1982, she lectured in the art history department of the University of Cambridge; in 1985, she helped to establish the Conservation of Wall Painting department at the Courtauld Institute of Art.<ref name=CIA/>
Cather was Vice President of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works from 2010-2014.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Obituary: Professor Sharon Cather (1947-2019) {{!}} 1 International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works |url=https://www.iiconservation.org/news/obituary-professor-sharon-cather-1947-2019 |access-date=2026-05-24 |website=www.iiconservation.org}}</ref>
In 2014 Cather was awarded the People's Republic of China Friendship Award (China) after a long period of collaboration with the Dunhuang Academy.<ref name="ICOM-CC_obit" />
In 2017, Cather received the Plowden Medal from the Royal Warrant Holders Association citing “her commitment and leadership in research, innovation and education in wall painting conservation” towards “a more holistic, methodical and scientific approach to conserving wall painting across the world—whether in an English cathedral or an Indian palace”.<ref name="RWHA_Plowden_Medal" />
A conference in memory of Cather scheduled for April 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Commemoration of Sharon Cather - Department of History of Art, University of York |url=https://www.york.ac.uk/history-of-art/about/events/2020/acommemorationofsharoncather/ |access-date=2026-05-24 |website=www.york.ac.uk}}</ref>
==References== <references>
<ref name=Times> {{citation |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/sharon-cather-obituary-djwxmnrpw |newspaper=The Times |date=10 July 2019 |page=50 |title=Sharon Cather }} </ref> <ref name=CIA>{{citation |url=https://courtauld.ac.uk/people/sharon-cather |title=Professor Sharon Cather |publisher=Courtauld Institute of Art}}</ref> <ref name=ICOM-CC_obit>{{citation |url=http://www.icom-cc.org/377/#.X9dSxqr7SRs |title=Sharon Cather (1947-2019) |publisher=International Council of Museums}}</ref> <ref name=RWHA_Plowden_Medal>{{citation |url=https://www.royalwarrant.org/sites/default/files/Plowden%20Medal%20Winners%27%20Citations%202019.pdf |title=PLOWDEN MEDAL WINNERS' CITATIONS |publisher=Royal Warrant Holders Association}}</ref>
</references>
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cather, Sharon}} Category:1947 births Category:2019 deaths Category:Academics of the Courtauld Institute of Art Category:Academics of the University of Cambridge Category:Conservator-restorers Category:Princeton University alumni Category:University of California, Santa Barbara alumni Category:American art historians Category:American women art historians Category:Historians from California Category:Academics from Berkeley, California
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