Richard Upton
Richard Upton, professor emeritus of art, died October 18, 2013, in Sarasota, Florida,
of complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 82.
Born May 27, 1931, in Hartford, Connecticut, Richard was a U.S. Navy veteran who served
during the Korean War. He received formal training in painting and printmaking at
the College of San Mateo in California; at the University of Connecticut, where he
earned a B.F.A. degree; and at Indiana University, where he earned an M.F.A. He was
a Fulbright Scholar in Paris, where he studied at the École des Beaux Arts and the
Académie de la Grande Chaumiere, and also studied at the Provincetown Workshop.
Richard joined the Skidmore faculty as an assistant professor of art in 1966 and retired
in 1995 as a full professor, having taught painting and printmaking. Regis Brodie,
professor emeritus of art, recalled that Richard’s influence was instrumental to the
continuance of Summer Six. “The program was very young and there was discussion about
discontinuing it,” explained Brodie. “Richard was a persuasive advocate of the program,
first as a director and later as a supporter,” added Brodie, who directed Summer Six
for 35 years.
David Miller, professor emeritus of art, called Richard “a dedicated teacher” whose
love of living and working in Cortona, Italy, was well known.
Richard’s paintings are included in such prestigious private and public collections
as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City; the
Art Institute of Chicago; the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.; the Library of Congress;
Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris; and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Richard’s survivors include his son, Richard T. Upton II; brother, Robert Upton; sisters
Joanie Upton and Constance Green; and several nieces and nephews.
Graveside services with military honors took place in Section G, Westminster of East
Cemetery, 240 East Center Street, Manchester.
