PHYLLIS MASSAR

MASSAR--Phyllis Dearborn passed away January 8, 2011 at the age of 94. Originally from Seattle, she was educated in the Liberal Arts at the University of Washington and graduated in 1937. In New York City she studied photography at the Clarence H. White School of Photography and through a series of courses taught by Ansel Adams at the Museum of Modern Art. Her photographs were recognized for a sense of balance and exactness in their composition. The photographs of architectural works in the Pacific Northwest made from 1943-1963 with her husband, the late Robert Massar, are archived under the professional name of Dearborn-Massar in the UW Libraries, Special Collections Division. She traveled in Italy with her 4x5 camera on commissions to chronicle the architecture of Andrea Palladio and of Filippo Brunelleschi. In the 1970's she curated several photographic exhibits and print exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As an art historian she was author of many articles and monographs as well as the book "Presenting Stefano Della Bella." A museum volunteer since 1966, Phyllis was an ardent print researcher with precise cataloging skills, an encyclopedic knowledge of art history and a true dedication to scholarship. Remembrances in her name may be made to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Department of Drawings and Prints.