Person

Heinrich, Theodore Allen

Theodore Allen Heinrich was born June 15, 1910, in Tacoma, Washington. He was raised primarily in Berkeley, California by his parents, forensic examiner Edward Oscar Heinrich, and Marion Allen Heinrich, a member of the social group Daughters of the American Revolution. He was educated mainly in California, and received his Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and art history from the University of California. This was followed by a Master of Literature (M.Litt) from Cambridge (King's College) in 1936. Although Heinrich claimed a PhD from the same in 1937, it is unclear whether this was actually obtained. Studying under professor Geoffrey Webb, his thesis was entitled: "Payne Knight, Price and Picturesque." Upon leaving university, Heinrich travelled for some time around the world. In 1942-43, after WWII started in Europe, Heinrich applied to become a bombardier but was unsuccessful. Instead, his father was instrumental in obtaining a place for him in military intelligence. He trained at Camp Ritchie in Maryland, then travelled to England to direct bombers against French, Belgian, and German railway lines with SHAEF, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force. At the end of the war, Heinrich was perfectly placed to transfer to MFA (Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives), in Wiesbaden, Germany. There he helped the Allied efforts to retitue art that had been looted by the Nazis during the war. He organized several major exhibitions of significant art works before they were returned to their respective owners. Upon the termination of this effort, Heinrich returned to the United States where he joined the Henry E. Huntington Library, in Pasadena, California as Curator of Art Collections and Senior Fellow for Art History for the period 1951-52. Heinrich moved on to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where he was Associate Curator of Paintings and Curator-in-charge of drawings. He stayed at the Metropolitan until 1956, when he became Director of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. He resigned from there under cloudy curcumstances in 1962. The following year he served a temporary appointment as Cultural Affairs Advisor jointly to the Asia Foundation and the Government of Pakistan. He conducted a survey of cultural resources and facilities in that country and prepared recommendations on the development of selected ones. Upon conclusion of this work he made an extended study tour of South and Southeast Asia and Japan. After following up with consulting work, preparing a report on the city art gallery and the museum in Vancouver among other projects, he was invited by Ron Bloore to come to the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus, to be the first Visiting Professor of Art History (1964-65). From Regina Campus he was able to apply to York University , where he became a professor of art history. He worked there until his death from cancer in 1981. By the end of his life he had amassed an enormous and extremely valuable estate of books, prints, drawings, and lithographs, as well as illuminated manuscripts and contemporary art works. The main strength of his collection was in seventeenth and eighteenth century European works. Drawings possible by Velasquez, drawings gathered by the Italian collector, Pacetti, and a bound volume of 24 letters from Frederick the Great to Voltaire were among the art works. Their unknown provenance made their ultimate disposition difficult.