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Thomas Mcevilley

Dr.

📌 Personal Background Full Name: Thomas McEvilley Birth: July 13, 1939, in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Death: March 2, 2013, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, aged 73 Cause of Death: Complications from cancer Survived By: Wife: Joyce Burstein (artist) Sons: Thomas and Monte (from a former marriage) Sister: Ellen M. Griffin Two grandchildren Son Alexander predeceased him Previously married twice, both marriages ended in divorce 🎓 Education i) B.A. from the University of Cincinnati – Studied Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, and classical philosophy ii) M.A. from the University of Washington iii) Ph.D. in Classical Philology from the University of Cincinnati 👨‍🏫 Academic and Professional Career i) Joined Rice University in 1969, served for 41 years ii) Held position of Distinguished Lecturer in Art History at Rice iii) Visiting professor at: a) Yale University b) School of the Art Institute of Chicago iv) Taught extensively on: a) Greek and Indian culture b) History of religion c) Philosophy v) Retired in 2008, lived in New York City and the Catskills afterward 🏅 Awards and Honors i) Semple Prize, University of Cincinnati ii) National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Critics Grant iii) Fulbright Fellowship (1993) iv) Frank Jewett Mather Award (1993) from the College Art Association v) NEA Critic’s Grant (listed separately) 📰 Editorial Work i) Contributing editor for Artforum ii) Editor-in-chief of Contemporanea ✍️ Scholarly Expertise & Writings i) Expertise in: a) Greek and Indian cultures b) History of religion and philosophy c) Contemporary art and culture ii) Authored numerous books, monographs, catalog essays, reviews, and articles 📚 Notable Works 1. Art and Otherness: Crisis in Cultural Identity (1992) i) Collection of 12 revised essays from the 1980s, contextualized within the culture wars ii) Advocates for challenging white, male, Western dominance in art and academia iii) Key essay: "Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief" – critical response to MoMA's 1984 exhibition Primitivism and Twentieth Century Art 2. The Exile’s Return: Toward a Redefinition of Painting for the Post-Modern Era (1993) i) Addresses the “death of painting” debate of the late 20th century ii) Argues that painting, after a decline, revived around 1980 with new postmodern theory and self-awareness 3. “Heads It’s Form, Tails It’s Not Content” i) Critiques formalist art criticism (e.g., Greenberg, Fried) ii) Traces formalist roots to Neoplatonism, where form is inseparable from content iii) Asserts that content inevitably accompanies form, even in formalist approaches 4. Sculpture in the Age of Doubt (1999) Analyzes postmodern intellectual challenges to sculpture throughout the 20th century 5. The Shape of Ancient Thought (2002) i) Based on 30 years of research (1970–2000) ii) Compares Greek and Indian philosophical traditions iii) Shows how trade, migration, and imperialism enabled cross-cultural exchanges iv) Argues that Western civilization is shaped by both Eastern and Western thought v) Demonstrates philosophical intermingling across India, Egypt, Greece, and the Near East

3 articles1996–20021 publication
Jinamanjari · 3

Writes about

Indus Valley Archaeology

Articles

Jinamanjari

Jaina Iconography: Toward a Comparative Approach

By Thomas Mcevilley, T. V. G. Sastri

2002
Jinamanjari

Looking for Evidence of Early Jainas Archaeology, Folk Religion, and Women

By Christopher Key Chapple, Thomas Mcevilley, Robert Decaroli

1996

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