Waterfall and pine

While successfully practicing clinical psychology, Frederick Baekeland pursued a PhD in art history at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, studying under Alexander Soper, an eminent historian of Japanese art. Upon completion of his degree, Baekeland changed careers and became a scholar and dealer of Japanese art, ably assisted in this endeavor by his wife, Joan. The Baekelands traveled extensively in Japan, building relationships with prominent gallerists there and with contemporary ceramic artists. Fred’s father was a Cornell alumnus, and the Baekelands have donated numerous works of art to the Johnson Museum over the years. Among Fred’s contributions to scholarship were exhibitions that he curated on Meiji-period art, organized by the Johnson’s former curator of Asian art, Martie Young, and modern Japanese studio ceramics, organized by the Japan Society. (“American Sojourns and the Collecting of Japanese Art,” curated by Ellen Avril and presented at the Johnson Museum June 25–December 18, 2016)