Sad News: Christine Havelock

January 31, 2024

Dear All,

I am writing to let you know that Christine Havelock, emerita professor of Art History, died on January 26th in Lexington, MA at the age of 99 years. Christine was a member of the Art Department from 1955–1990. She was for all those years “the foundation stone” of Art 105–6.

In addition to her years of dedication to the Art History department, Christine was instrumental in the creation of the Women’s Studies program (now Women, Feminist, and Queer Studies), becoming its first director in the fall of 1978. Her authority as a scholar and her standing in the college community gave the new program the legitimacy it needed to become an integral part of the college curriculum. Her interest in feminism also informed her work on Hellenistic art, especially sculpture. Her book titled The Aphrodite of Knidos and Her Successors:  A Historical Review of the Female Nude in Greek Art, explored the significance of the representation of nude female figures in Hellenistic art and her handbook of Hellenistic art remains an essential text. In all her work, critics praise her ability to write with clarity, careful observation, and humor.

A valued colleague and teacher, Christine was deeply respected.  All who knew Christine in whatever capacity over her thirty-five years at Vassar will remember her with great fondness.

With sadness,

Elizabeth H. Bradley, President
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
@EHBVassar