Sonia Chalif Simon
in the Pyrennees where she lived
Born
Sonia Sterling Chalif

December 24, 1925
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedFebruary 4, 2022
Jaca, Spain
Other namesSonia Chalif Daniels
Occupation(s)Art historian, college professor
RelativesLouis Harvy Chalif (grandfather); J. Frederic Kernochan (great-uncle)

Sonia Sterling Chalif Simon (December 24, 1925 – February 4, 2022) was an American art historian and college professor. She specialized in medieval, baroque, and nineteenth-century subjects, and was on the faculty at Colby College from 1982 to 1996.

Early life and education

Sonia Sterling Chalif was born in Brooklyn, the daughter of Edward Louis Chalif and Margaret Kernochan Montgomery Chalif. Her parents were dance teachers; her father, who was also an ornithologist, was born in Odesa, and her mother was from New Jersey.[1] Her grandfather, Louis Harvy Chalif, was a noted author and ballet master.[2] Attorney and judge J. Frederic Kernochan was her mother's uncle.[3]

She attended the George School, and Vassar College,[4] but left the latter to marry in 1946.[5][6] She earned all her degrees at Boston University, including a bachelor's degree in fine art in 1966, a master's degree in fine art in 1970, and a Ph.D in art history in 1975.[7] Her dissertation was titled "Studies on the Drogo Sacrementary: Eschatology and the Priest-King" (1975).[8]

Career

Sonia Chalif Daniels was active in women's clubs as a young woman, and taught at Far Brook School in New Jersey.[9][10] She was known for her doctoral work on the Drogo Sacramentary, a manuscript made for and used by Drogo of Metz, son of Charlemagne. She also studied the iconography of the cloisters at Jaca Cathedral in Spain.[11] She taught at the University of Massachusetts, the State University of New York, and the College of New Rochelle. She was also director of an art gallery at SUNY Cortland, from 1975 to 1980, and worked on the “Census of Stained Glass Windows in America, 1840-1940".[7]

Simon was a member of the faculty at Colby College from 1982 to 1996, while her husband was head of the art department; they sometimes co-taught survey courses on Western art, and they co-directed the school's Colby in Salamanca program for the 1989–1990 academic year.[7] The couple were advisors on the "Art of Medieval Spain" exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1993.[12]

Publications

  • "Le Christ victorieux: Iconographie d'un chapiteau de Jaca" (1979)[13]
  • "David et ses musiciens: Iconographie d'un chapiteau de Jaca" (1980)[11]
  • "Un chapiteau du cloitre de la cathedrale de Jaca, representent la psychomachie" (1981)[14]

Personal life

Sonia Chalif married journalist George Goetz Daniels in 1946;[15][16] they had four sons. She later married fellow art historian David L. Simon. She died in 2022, in Jaca, Spain, at the age of 96.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Margaret Montgomery Chalif". Arizona Daily Star. 1991-11-26. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-12-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Edward L. Chalif". The Daily Times. 1980-11-24. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-12-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Niece of Justice Kernochan Married". Brooklyn Life. 1924-08-02. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-12-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Summit Girls Enter Vassar September 1". Summit Herald. September 9, 1943. p. 16. Retrieved December 2, 2022 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  5. ↑ "In Memoriam: Sonia Chalif Simon, 1925-2022". Women In Academia Report. 2022-03-07. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  6. ↑ "Sonia Chalif to Wed Army Lt". The Item of Millburn and Short Hills. 1945-08-02. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-12-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Meader, Laura (February 22, 2022). "Sonia Chalif Simon, Art Historian and Professor Emerita, Dies at 96". Colby News.
  8. ↑ Simon, S. C. (1975). Studies On The Drogo Sacramentary: Eschatology And The Priest-king (Order No. 7521015). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (302774321).
  9. ↑ "PTA News Glenwood". The Item of Millburn and Short Hills. 1965-01-14. p. 12. Retrieved 2022-12-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Woman's Club Units Set Activities: 'Africa Today' is Club Day Topic". The Item of Millburn and Short Hills. 1965-10-07. p. 16. Retrieved 2022-12-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. 1 2 Simon, Sonia C. (1980). "David et ses musiciens: Iconographie d'un chapiteau de Jaca". Les cahiers de Saint Michel de Cuxá. 11: 239–248.
  12. ↑ Umair Mirza (1993-10-01). Art of Medieval Spain. pp. ix.
  13. ↑ Simon, Sonia C. “Le Christ victorieux: Iconographie d'un chapiteau de Jaca.” Les Cahiers de Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa 10 (1979), pp. 125-29.
  14. ↑ Simon, Sonia C. “Un Chapiteau du cloitrc de la cathedrale de Jaca, representent la psychomachie.” Les Cahiers de Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa 12 (1981), pp.151-157.
  15. ↑ "Former Vassar Girl Bride of G. G. Daniels". Poughkeepsie Journal. 1946-01-05. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-12-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Wister, Jane (1946-01-04). "Sonia Chalif is Bride of George Goetz Daniels". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 18. Retrieved 2022-12-02 – via Newspapers.com.
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