T. Kaori Kitao, the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor Emerita of Art History at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, passed away on September 21. She was 93 years old.
Born and raised in the Aoyama area of Tokyo, Japan, Dr. Kitao came to the United States in 1952 with a $350 scholarship to Santa Rosa Junior College in California. She went on to receive her bachelor’s degree in architecture and her master’s degree in art history from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1960, Dr. Kitao began doctoral studies in art history at Harvard University. While completing her doctorate, she spent three years teaching as an assistant professor of architectural history at the Rhode Island School of Design.
In 1966, Dr. Kitao joined the Swarthmore College faculty. During her tenure, she taught courses in architecture, semiotics, film, industrial and commercial design, and art history courses in Renaissance and Baroque art. Dr. Kitao was appointed chair of the studio art program in 1975, and two years later, the program became a full major. She also helped to establish programs in dance and theater.
Dr. Kitao retired from Swarthmore in 2001. She would later establish several endowments at the college, supporting scholarly work in mathematics, cinema history, curatorial studies, and historical research on Italian studies, Japanese studies, and the performing arts.