GERARD WERTKIN

1940 - 2022

WERTKIN--Gerard Charles, of Truro, Massachusetts (formerly of New York City) passed away on January 11, 2022 due to complications from Parkinson's Disease. He was 81 years old. Gerard was born on October 3, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York, to Murray and Cecelia (Bregman) Wertkin. He graduated from Syracuse University with his A.B. in 1962 and received his law degrees from New York University (LL.B in 1965 and LL.M in 1970). He practiced corporate law until 1980, when he had a career change, and pursued a career in the arts. In 1991, he became the Director of the American Folk Art Museum, from where he eventually retired. Throughout his distinguished career, he created partnerships in the greater arts community nationally and abroad, and was a respected author, scholar, curator, and speaker. One such notable partnership was with the Government of Norway, where he was honored as a Knight of the Royal Order of Norwegian Merit for his contributions to Norwegian-American Folk Art. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Wertkin (Dansky), his children, Jennifer Wertkin, Andrew Wertkin, and Rebecca Wertkin (Praveen Saxena), his sister, Barbara F. Wertkin, and his grandchildren, Emily, Jeremy, Mia, Sadie, and Benjamin and great-grandson, Bodhi. He will always be lovingly remembered for his incredible sense of humor, his sharp intellect, his generosity of spirit, and his ability to captivate an audience.