The Charles Lang Freer medal was established in 1956 by the Smithsonian Institution in honor of Charles Lang Freer, the founder of the Freer collection. The medal is conferred intermittently, honoring distinguished career contributions made by scholars in the history of art.
Recipients First – Osvald Siren, February 15, 1956.Freer Gallery of Art. (1956). (1956). First presentation of the Charles Lang Freer medal, February 25, 1956; "Swede to Receive First Freer Medal," New York Times. February 26, 1956. Second – Ernst Kühnel, May 3, 1960.Freer Gallery of Art. (1960). Second presentation of the Charles Lang Freer medal, May 3, 1960. Third – Yashiro Yukio, September 15, 1965.Freer Gallery of Art. (1965). Third presentation of the Charles Lang Freer medal, September 15, 1965. Fourth – Tanaka Ichimatsu, May 2, 1973.Freer Gallery of Art. (1973). Fourth presentation of the Charles Lang Freer Medal, May 2, 1973. Fifth – Laurence Sickman, September 11, 1973.Freer Gallery of Art. (1973). Fifth presentation of the Charles Lang Freer medal, September 11, 1973. Sixth – Roman Ghirshman, January 16, 1974.Freer Gallery of Art. (1973). Sixth presentation of the Charles Lang Freer medal, January 16, 1974. Seventh – Max Loehr, May 2, 1983.Freer Gallery of Art. (1983). Seventh presentation of the Charles Lang Freer Medal, May 2, 1983. Eighth – Stella Kramrisch, 1985. Ninth – Alexander Coburn Soper III, 1990.Soper, Alexander. (1990). A Case of Meaningful Magic. Tenth – Sherman Lee, 1998.Freer Gallery of Art. (1998). Tenth Presentation of the Charles Lang Freer Medal, Sherman E. Lee. Eleventh – Oleg Grabar, 2001.PBS (WNET, New York): Oleg Grabar, Big Ideas, TV program. Twelfth – James F. Cahill, 2010. Thirteenth – John M. Rosenfield, 2012. Fourteenth – Jessica Rawson, 2017. Fifteenth – Vidya Deheija, April 28, 2023. Sixteenth – Gülru Necipoğlu, October 27, 2023.
Notes
References Soper, Alexander. (1990). A Case of Meaningful Magic. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. Freer Gallery of Art. (1960). The Charles Lang Freer medal, February 25, 1956. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. __________. (1973). Fifth presentation of the Charles Lang Freer medal, September 11, 1973. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. __________. (1956). First presentation of the Charles Lang Freer medal, February 25, 1956. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. __________. (1973). Fourth presentation of the Charles Lang Freer Medal, May 2, 1973. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. __________. (1960). Second presentation of the Charles Lang Freer medal, May 3, 1960. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. __________. (1983). Seventh presentation of the Charles Lang Freer Medal, May 2, 1983. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. __________. (1974). Sixth presentation of the Charles Lang Freer medal, January 16, 1974. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. __________. (1998). Tenth Presentation of the Charles Lang Freer Medal, Sherman E. Lee. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. __________. (1965). Third presentation of the Charles Lang Freer medal, September 15, 1965. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. Roades, Katharine N. (1960). "An Appreciation of Charles Lang Freer (1859-1919)," Ars Orientalis. Vol. 2.
External links Smithsonian: Freer medal, obverse image; reverse image