ICMA Oral History Project: Recent Episodes
ICMA Oral History
Oral history interviews with early and influential members of the International Center of Medieval Art
The International Center for Medieval Art celebrates the memory of William D. Wixom, who served as the president of the ICMA from 1971-74. Bill served as the Michel David-Weill Chairman of the Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters at The Metropolitan Museum of Art from 1979 until his retirement in 1998. Before coming to New York, Bill was curator of Medieval and Renaissance art at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Under his stewardship, the medieval collection at The Met grew at a pace not seen since the opening of The Cloisters in 1938. During his tenure, the Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters organized numerous exhibitions, both at The Met Fifth Avenue and at The Cloisters, with Mirror of the Medieval World capping off his career. Bill’s passion for works of art extended well beyond Medieval art, as the collection that he and his wife, Nancy Coe Wixom, built together bears witness. They generously donated art to a wide range of departments at the Met, including the American Wing, Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, Modern and Contemporary Art, and Medieval Art. Bill’s delight in works of art and good humor were legendary and infectious. He remained actively involved in the field until his passing; his mentorship of his staff ranks among the most significant of his many legacies.