Earl Roger Mandle (May 13, 1941 – November 28, 2020),[1][2] better known as Roger Mandle, was an American museum administrator, curator, art historian, and college president. He was president of the Rhode Island School of Design from 1993 to 2008.[3] He was director at Toledo Museum of Art (1977–1988), and deputy director and chief curator of National Gallery of Art (1988–1993).[4]
Earl Roger Mandle was born on May 13, 1941, in Hackensack, New Jersey,[1][5] son of Earl Simmon Mandle (1913–1980), a graphic designer who went into the family meat business, and Phyllis Key (née Olberg) Mandle (1915–1995), who worked in apparel design.[6] Mandle received a BA degree in 1963 from Williams College and MA degree and a certificate in Museum Training in 1967 from New York University.[3] A specialist in the history of Dutch art, he earned a PhD in 2002 in art history from Case Western Reserve University.[7] His 2001 dissertation was supervised by Walter Gibson and Catherine Scallen.[8]
In 1993, Mandle was named president of the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence.[3] During his tenure at RISD, Mandle oversaw the development of ambitious projects (such as the creation of a museum building by Rafael Moneo), and was recognized for increasing selectivity in the School's acceptance rates. He was also credited with initiating programs with nearby Brown University, including a dual-degree program to allow students to earn a B.F.A. and a B.A. from the respective institutions. In 2008, Mandle was succeeded by John Maeda.[16] In May 2009, Mandle was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Rhode Island School of Design.[17][18]
Mandle received honorary degrees from the University of Toledo (DFA, 1983), Kenyon College (DFA, 1986), Brown University (DFA, 2003),[19] Maryland Institute College of Art, Bryant University (Doctor of Human Letters, 2011),[20] Rhode Island School of Design (2009), and Virginia Commonwealth University (Doctor of Human Letters, 2009).[21] He was made Knight of the Order of Isabel la Católica by King Juan Carlos of Spain in 1985,[22] and was Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.[23]
Mandle died on November 28, 2020, in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, at age 79.[2] He was survived by his wife, artist Gayle Wells Mandle, and two children.[2]
^Mandle, Earl Roger. "Aesthetics and Exhortations: Dutch Artists' Academies in the Eighteenth Century." Ph.D. diss. Case Western Reserve University, 2002.
^Who's Who in American Art. New Providence, NJ: Marquis. 2015. p. 869. ISBN978-0837963143.
