From the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke Homepage:
Farewell to a Dear Colleague.
Hans van Miegroet was a gifted artist, art historian, and creative thinker in numerous fields from the humanities to the social and natural sciences and law. His research on emerging Art Markets was grounded in questions of copyright, cultural heritage, visual culture, and new research strategies and modes of interpretation. When he once served as Chair of the Department, he expanded Art & Art History to include Visual Studies. Hans was a loving father of two children, a supportive colleague, and friend. His kindness, memorable playfulness, and wry sense of humor was unparalleled. He will be acutely missed.
Kristine Stiles, Ph.D.
France Family Distinguished Professor
Longtime Friend of the Nasher Museum
Guest Curator
Member of the Collections Committee of the Museum’s National Board of Advisors.
Kristine Stiles and Hans Van Miegroet in 1988, their first year at Duke.
From the Historians of Netherlandish Art Newsletter:
Hans Van Miegroet – In Memoriam.
If you believe that all academics are dull, you obviously never met Hans Van Miegroet, the renowned art market scholar at Duke University. On Friday night, Hans unexpectedly passed away in a car crash near the campus where he taught for decades.
Hans chose to study art history in Ghent, and he distinguished himself as a man of many talents. As a teenager, he composed and recorded a pop song. During his twenties, he turned to drawing and painting, and his first solo show promptly sold out at a local gallery. And not even that long ago when I stopped by his house in North Carolina which, of course, he had designed himself, he revealed that he’d installed a flight simulator. He was training to become a pilot!
His can-do mentality was very un-Belgian, and he found the United States to be a much more suitable environment for his out of the box thinking. He built a great career doing so at Duke University which spanned decades. As a teacher, he was a true performer who could captivate, inspire, and entertain his audience, even if many did not understand his thick Ghent accent. As a researcher, he relentlessly sought and found collaboration across disciplines and geographical boundaries. And when he teamed up with economist Neil De Marchi, they would change the field of art market studies forever. Neil and Hans invited me to join their ongoing workshop in 1998, and this involvement has shaped my thinking on art and economics till this day. And we had countless memorable and fun moments doing it, accompanied by ample quantities of Bordeaux wine (rive gauche vineyards only, Hans would insist).
On a personal level I did not always agree with Hans’ viewpoints, but his generosity and unconditional support for his (younger) colleagues was heartfelt. His ability to let other people shine is not a given in academia, which is yet another reason why many of us feel a deep gratitude to have known and worked with him. He will be sorely missed as the art market studies community has lost one his most colorful and accomplished figures.
Filip Vermeylen, Ph.D.
Professor of Global Art Markets Director of Research,
Department of Arts and Culture Studies
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Joost Vander Auwera, Hans Van Miegroet, Sandra van Ginhoven, Filip Vermeylen, Tom Robisheaux, Clara Bargellini, and Neil de Marchi, on the occasion of Sandra van Ginhoven's dissertation defense.
From a Former Doctoral Student:
First and foremost, Hans was someone who truly loved what he did and took great pride in his students’ accomplishments. He was a fervent advocate for all creative thinkers and valued student input—undergrads and graduate students alike—like no other professor I’ve had in all my years as a higher ed student (and that is saying a lot given my 12 years as an undergrad/grad student).
One of his favorite ongoing projects was his work on painters in Mechelen, a small town in Belgium that was responsible for particularly high output of paintings in the 16th century. He worked with many collaborators on this over the years, and loved showing off the wall in his office that featured a giant printout of his Excel sheets containing all the data. Anyone who entered his office for the first time would get an impassioned introduction to the data, which always had two lamps shining directly on it to show it in all its glory. As he would talk, he always made sure to mention everyone he worked with on it, down to crediting those responsible for printing it out for him. He always gave credit where credit was due.
He also talked endlessly about how proud he was of his children, Wieland and Lotte.
He always was full of crazy stories about his previous careers before art history—as a musician and as a painter (a practice he kept up until his death)—and he always found ways to connect his experiences to teaching art markets and creative industries.
He had the highest enrollment numbers of the department for his History of Art Markets undergrad course and his Art & Markets seminar, where students were thoroughly entertained by his enthusiastic teaching, wild gesticulations as he wandered about the classroom, and passion for the course material and student projects past and present.
His courses brought together students from the humanities and social sciences—even hard sciences and engineering at times—to work collaboratively on data intensive, original research that was truly a unique undergraduate experience. He loved seeing all the diverse career paths that his students entered.
Beyond teaching he had a major influence on art market students globally and had many collaborators in the U.S. and abroad. His biggest contributions to the field were made with Duke University Professor Emeritus of Economics, Neil de Marchi. Together, Neil and Hans established DALMI (Duke Art, Law, and Markets Initiative), which Hans directed until his death.
For anyone who studied with him, know that each of you meant so much to him and seeing your successes gave him so much pride. I know he’s still rooting for us. As for me, I am still trying to process the fact that just two days ago I was back in the DALMI office, talking with him about all our crazy research ideas and showing off the infamous Mechelen data wall. It was an honor to get to share these last moments with you, Hans. Rust zacht.
Kaylee P. Alexander, PhD
Research Data Librarian
J. Willard Marriott Library
The University of Utah
Fiene Leunissen, Hans Van Miegroet, Kaylee Alexander, and Felipe Alvarez de Toledo Lopez-Herrera
From a Former Duke Colleague:
It is with a very heavy heart I share the news of the passing of my colleague and friend of so many years, Hans J. Van Miegroet. We did so many wonderful things together over more than a decade at Duke, and working with him was one of the best experiences of my life. For years we worked together in the Art Department on projects for his beloved visionary DALMI project, building Media Arts + Sciences, CMAC, and sharing some wonderful and unforgettable meals.
Hans was singularly brilliant and charming, great fun to work with. He had endless enthusiasm for projects we might do together. We did some really cool things, like, we got people text mining art catalogs for improved asset valuations, helping make art an actual asset class, and even devising a way to convert currency values between whole eras. "Why not? Ok try it?"
It seems like only yesterday Hans strolled into my basement office at the Hope Center (almost 17 years ago!) telling me I had designed the best art market pricing model in history. Who the hell is this mad Belgian and why is he so nice to me? Years later he fulfilled the promises of others at the university, staking his very reputation on advancing me to faculty. And yet, he demanded nothing of me. Told me how much I had already given him. I can't think of anyone else like him in the very best possible sense.
Hans is gone way too soon but his life was certainly full; he had the stories to show for it. Hans was filled with largesse that was exceeded by his vision for data driven art economics, inventive educational programs, and a drive for generous mentorship of so many students passing through his door who must be hurting today. My thoughts go out to his family and to the students who worked so closely with him, especially Fiene Leunissen, Kaylee Alexander, Felipe Alvarez de Toledo Lopez-Herrera, and so many others.
Patrick Herron
AI Consultant
Hypothia
From a Former Duke Instructor, Research Scholar, and Research Assistant:
It is a weird thought that the DALMI (Duke Art, Law and Markets Initiative) office never will be the same without you in it. Hans, I can’t deny that I would not be where I am today without you. Know that DALMI will live on in everybody that sat at those annoying glass tables (that had to be cleaned at the end of every day). Rust zacht en tot ziens!
Fiene Leunissen
Director of Data Visualization
PublicRelay
From a Former Doctoral Student:
I was shocked and saddened on Saturday morning to learn of the death of my advisor and mentor at Duke, Hans Van Miegroet. I spent ten years working with him and he left an indelible mark on my life. Although I had not spoken to him in a few years, the news of his passing brought back a flood of experiences as his graduate student. Not only was he a world-class scholar; he was also an exceptional teacher. He relentlessly encouraged me to think unconventionally, which I often resisted, but all the while he opened new possibilities to a larger world of ideas, experiences, and friendships.
Hans seemed to know everyone and brought me into his world. I traveled in Belgium and the Netherlands with him several times as a participant and later a chaperone for his long-running summer intensive program in art history. We spent a lot of time in museums of course, but we swapped loads of stories and shared many meals together. He always knew what to order: which wine, which beer, which dish was authentic to which region, which places to go to ensure the best experience possible. He even hired me to drive students in the rental van all over the country (even though I got a couple of speeding tickets, which I think amused him).
Over the years, he believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. In his classroom and in our daily conversations, he always had a unique way with words, whether in Dutch, French or English - sometimes all in the same sentence - and an absolute joie de vivre that was completely infectious. He showed me that it was perfectly OK to simultaneously be a consummate, polished professional while showing an unapologetic, impassioned and almost child-like fascination for what you’re teaching.
Anyone who knew him relished being in his classroom - it was challenging, entertaining, and for me, always inspiring. His example remains with me in my classroom every day. It just so happened that just this Monday (two days ago), in my Art History survey course, we were covering Pieter Bruegel the Elder and the 16th Century Netherlands. A student asked me, “Dr Mayhew, how can you explain why so many people started buying paintings? Why in Antwerp?” One tiny question; seven years of my life.
Hans taught me so much. There is always so much more I want to say. Because of him, my life has been enriched, colorful, and ultimately very rewarding in ways that he never knew. I raise a glass (or two) for you Hans, and thank you.
Robert Mayhew, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Fine Arts
Wake Technical Community College
Hans Van Miegroet in the summer of 2000 when he and Robert Mayhew were visiting the Bokrijk Open Air Museum (what might be the “Colonial Williamsburg” of Belgium). Professors have fun too!
From a Former Duke Instructor:
Deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Hans van Miegroet. He was a remarkable scholar who pushed forward digital methods in art history and visual studies. At a time when my previous contract was running out he invited me to join the Visual Studies Initiative first as a guest researcher and then as a lecturer. It was an incredible experience and privilege to have been part of the journey of the Visual Studies Initiative under his leadership, which I experienced as an incredibly inspiring environment. This was definitely a time that in a great deal defined my professional and personal pathway. Rest in peace!
Florian Wiencek
Consulting & Concepts for Digital Mediation of Art & Culture
Musealisten
Lecturer
Danube University
From a Colleague in Early Netherlandish Painting:
I was very saddened to hear about the sudden death of Hans Van Miegroet, a long-time colleague in the field of Early Netherlandish painting. I still use his brilliant finding of the 'phantom copy' every year in my courses, and I was delighted that Hans was able to speak on that topic at our Bruegel symposium in Vienna in 2019. He will be dearly missed. My condolences to his colleagues and family.
Ron Spronk, PhD
Professor of Art History
Department of Art History and Art Conservation
Queen's University
Kingston, ON, Canada
From a Former Student
I first met Prof. Hans van Miegroet nearly thirty years ago. In 1995, in the spring semester of my freshman year at Duke, I decided to take ART 70, the survey course on art history from the Renaissance to the 20th century. Hans was the instructor. He was a captivating, brilliant lecturer, who combined profound erudition with tremendous energy, enthusiasm, and child-like joy. His lectures were peppered with humorous asides, always delivered in his inimitable Ghent accent. I was hooked and declared a second major in art history before the end of the semester.
For the remainder of my time as a Duke undergraduate, I was one of Prof. van Miegroet’s acolytes. There was a whole group of us; we all took every course he offered. Several years later, I returned to Duke to continue my studies with him as a graduate student. This included a memorable summer on the Duke in Flanders program, which he led for many years. It was a wonderful privilege to explore Belgium and the Netherlands with Hans. He seemed to know people in every town, and they all welcomed him with open arms. In Brussels, the art dealer Jan De Maere generously opened his gallery to us and allowed us to physically examine some of his paintings. It was an extraordinary experience only Hans could have made happen.
One of the things that was most admirable about Hans as an intellectual and scholar was willingness to try new things. There was nothing hidebound about him. Although his field was the past, he was thrilled by the possibilities of the present. Hans was always willing to collaborate across disciplinary boundaries and to embrace new methods. He was always moving and evolving. I am sure that he was trying to figure out how generative AI could be harnessed to bring new insights to the functioning of art markets.
In addition to being a brilliant scholar, his love of teaching was genuine and inspiring. Most of Hans’ students over his long career at Duke did not embark on careers in art history or academia. In the end, this was true for me, too. However, Hans left an indelible imprint on my life and on all our lives. Because of him, we have a deeper understanding of the past and a more profound sense of possibility in the present. That is a remarkable legacy.
I am grateful to have known him and to have been his student. I hope he knew that.
Colonel Kevin D. Kornegay, U.S. Army, J.D, LL.M.
From a Former Doctoral Student:
On 10 February I woke up to the shocking news that my advisor and mentor at Duke University, Hans Van Miegroet, had passed away in a car accident the night before. The days since have brought much sadness for this loss and a flood of fond memories of the years since 2007 when I began my doctoral studies under the tutelage of both Hans and Duke economist Neil De Marchi. By the time I met them, Hans and Neil had been in an alchemical collaboration for several years. During their working sessions every Friday at a local café in Durham, North Carolina, and in many publications and convenings, they debated and explored how valuation, marketing strategies, copyright protection or infringement, consumer preferences, trade, intermediation, legal infrastructure or barriers, wealth elasticity– and the list can go on– impacted art production, consumption and circulation during the early modern period. Back then, it was rare to hear an art historian use the words “art” and “economics” in the same sentence (and with such excitement!). But such was Hans, who believed that great research needed many people from varied backgrounds working together, at (or beyond) the edge of their comfort zones. That is where he believed collaboration and interdisciplinarity showed their true powers. That is also why he loved to have in his classes students not only at different stages in their training, but also (and especially) from across disciplines. The hermeneutic method, he would say.
His art market classes were captivating. During a three-hour art-historical roller coaster ride, splashed with expressions in Flemish and French that students tried deciphering for months, it was not uncommon for established narratives to be questioned and often debunked. Like a performer, each class was taught as if it were the last one. He knew how to impress an audience, but behind every big idea or statement made to inspire or bring a point across was rigorous archival research. He was serious about that.
He was also serious about data-driven research, which was at the heart of the Duke Art, Law and Markets Initiative (DALMI) that he directed until his passing. An enormous spreadsheet of early modern painters in Mechelen hanging on a wall of the DALMI office (Hans would prefer “headquarters”) was a constant and important reminder of the joint labor and time that working with data entails. That office was also a place for much discussion and exchange among the many people who at any point in time occupied a chair in the shared space. To Hans, proximity mattered; it was a main principle for real learning and growth. For that reason, the door was always open.
He was a generous advisor and scholar. He included his students in every discussion, trip, meeting, and convening he could. He gave us all credit when and where credit was due. He shared his world with us, and that is how I met many people I now count as colleagues, and, some, also friends. I will always be grateful for his unwavering support and encouragement, and his contagious love for life. So many fun memories.
Hans and I met via Zoom just a week before his accident. We talked about a new and exciting project he had in mind, and I regret that we will not have the chance to work together on it. But I will always cherish the time we had, and everything I learned from him along the way. I am deeply thankful for the impact he had on my career, and all the opportunities I was granted. Thank you, Hans.
Hans (standing, third from right) with colleagues at the "Mapping Markets" meeting in Brussels, 2011.
Sandra van Ginhoven, Ph.D.
Head, Getty Provenance Index
Getty Research Institute
From a Former Student:
Imagine a world where art history isn't just about dates and brushstrokes, but a vibrant dance through time, culture, and technology. This was the classroom of Professor Hans Van Miegroet at Duke University, a place where every lecture felt like a new adventure, and learning was just living.
Van Miegroet had a unique gift for storytelling, turning topics like the Tulip Bulb market's boom and bust into gripping tales that highlighted the human aspects behind historical events. His approach made each class an adventure, where learning was as much about understanding the past as it was about drawing connections to our present and future.
One of the most memorable experiences was a summer trip I took with Van Miegroet and a small group of Duke students through Belgium and the Netherlands. This wasn't just a tour; it was an immersive study into the Northern Renaissance, where we encountered the era's masterpieces firsthand in museums, galleries, and churches. The pinnacle of this journey was standing before Van Eyck's "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb." With Van Miegroet's guidance, we didn't merely view the altarpiece; we experienced a pivotal moment in art history. He helped us see how, in a time of limited visual vocabulary, such detailed and narrative-rich artwork would have been as revolutionary as the first television broadcast, opening new windows to human expression and communication. Our travels also led us to the magnificent Gothic cathedrals of Amiens and Beauvais, where the architectural genius of the medieval period was on full display. These visits were not just academic; they were profound experiences that connected us deeply to the spirit of innovation that defined the era.
Back on campus, Van Miegroet continued to innovate, especially in his Art and Markets class, co-taught with Neil De Marchi from the Economics Department. This course was a creative playground that merged economics with art history, challenging us to explore the market dynamics behind art. My research, which investigated the impact of magazine covers on the auction prices of paintings, was deeply influenced by the interdisciplinary thinking encouraged in this class.
Professor Van Miegroet's contributions extended beyond traditional teaching methods. He was instrumental in integrating cutting-edge technology into the curriculum, pioneering the use of digital tools in art historical research. His efforts have significantly enhanced the learning experience for students and established Duke's Art and Art History Department as a leader in the field.
Reflecting on my time with Professor Van Miegroet, it's clear that his teaching was a catalyst for a deeper appreciation of art and its role in human history. His passion for art history and his innovative approach to education have left an indelible mark on all who were fortunate to learn from him.
In all my research and projects - I am greatly impacted by his teachings and guidance. I do not just look at the world around me, I see it.
Justin Gilanyi
Founder, Director, CEO at Visual Artists Group