The ICMA Mourns the Loss of Ilene Forsyth

It is with great sadness that the International Center of Medieval Art announces the death of Ilene Forsyth, a long-time member and supporter of the ICMA. Ilene endowed the ICMA’s Forsyth Lecture in memory of her husband, George H. Forsyth, Jr., and his cousin William H. Forsyth. She was a member of the ICMA from its foundation and served on the Board of Directors at various points, most recently from 2005 to 2008. A preeminent scholar of twelfth-century European sculpture and author of the landmark book The Throne of Wisdom: Wood Sculptures of the Madonna in Romanesque France (Princeton UP, 1972), Ilene was an inspiration and mentor for generations of medieval art historians. She was a member of the art history faculty at University of Michigan for thirty-five years (1962-97), where she generously endowed a professorship in western medieval art, graduate student fellowships, and other programs aimed at ensuring the future of the field.

A tribute to Ilene will appear in a forthcoming issue of ICMA News.