Walter Liedtke, who was curator in the department of European paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, has died. The art historian was one of the six people confirmed dead after a Metro-North train crashed into an S.U.V. in Valhalla, New York. In an email to the museum staff, director Thomas P. Campbell wrote:
‘It is with profound sadness that we communicate the news that one of our finest colleagues, Walter Liedtke, Curator in European Paintings, was involved in the Metro North train crash that occurred yesterday evening. We do not have official confirmation yet, but it appears as though he was among the victims in the first car. We are all shocked by this news and have his entire family, particularly his wife Nancy, and in our thoughts.’
Prior to joining the Met in 1979 Liedtke gained a master’s degree at Brown and a PhD at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. He was the author of seven books and numerous articles.
5 February 2015
