Tracey Albainy
Very sad news out of the Museum of Fine Arts.
Tracey Albainy, a senior curator of decorative arts and sculpture, died on Tuesday in her native Cleveland after a battle with lung cancer. Albainy, 45, started at the MFA in 2000. She was most recently coordinating curator of “Symbols of Power: Napoleon and the Art of the Empire Style, 1800-1815,” which remains open through January 27.
The funeral takes place Saturday in Ohio, but the MFA will hold its own memorial service at a later date. Memorial contributions can be made in Albainy’s name to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Art of Europe Dept., 465 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115; Smith College, Donor Services, 33 Elm St., Northampton, MA 01063; or The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 10 Brookline Place West, 6th Floor, Brookline, MA 02445.
Other info from the MFA:
"From 1993 to 2000, she held curatorial positions in the European Sculpture and Decorative Arts department at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Prior to that, she served as Associate Curator of European Decorative Arts at the Birmingham Museum of Art, and was Marble House Fellow at the Preservation Society of Newport County. Her other work experience includes associations with the J. Paul Getty Museum, Parsons School of Design/Cooper-Hewitt Museum Graduate Program, and Frick Art Reference Library.
Ms. Albainy graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Smith College, and received her master of arts in art history from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and another master of arts degree from Parsons School of Design/Cooper-Hewitt Museum Graduate Program in the History of European Decorative Arts.
Ms. Albainy was a prolific writer in her field, having published numerous scholarly articles. She was the recipient of many awards and a member of several professional organizations, including the French Porcelain Society. She was fluent in French, and enjoyed her many sojourns to Paris."
