Oct. 25, 2022 – In a ceremony at the Consulate General of France in New York City, University at Albany's Collins Fellow and Professor Emeritus in Art History Roberta Bernstein was named a Chevalier (Knight) of the National Order of the Legion of Honor, France's highest distinction of outstanding merit for service to the nation in a military or civilian capacity.  

The award, decreed by French President Emmanuel Macron in February 2022, recognizes Bernstein's substantial achievements as an author, professor, curator and art historian. Her acclaimed five-volume work, "Jasper Johns: Catalog Raisonné of Painting and Sculpture" garnered special praise from French Ambassador to the United States Philippe Etienne, who cited its links to French artists and described it as "a masterful work of benefit to the worldwide arts community."

In her remarks, Bernstein, who is widely regarded as the preeminent scholar of the art of influential American artist Jasper Johns, credited a high school teacher with setting her on her professional path.

"My pathway to art history started with my high school French teacher, Roger Chappuis, who introduced me to the beauty of the French language and the riches of French culture, including its art," Bernstein said before a gathering of family, friends and colleagues.

Bernstein's education took her to UMass Amherst as an undergraduate and to Columbia University, where she earned her doctorate. Her professional career sent her to prominent museums and galleries worldwide to work with critics, curators, collectors and significant artists like Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol, for whom she once worked as an assistant.  

In 1980, Bernstein began a 28-year teaching career as a professor of art history at the University at Albany. During her tenure, Bernstein was recognized with two prestigious awards: a 1992 Chancellor's Awards for Excellence in Teaching from the State University of New York system and the Collins Fellow Award, in 2000, for "the highest levels of institutional commitment and service" at the University at Albany. She retired in 2008 and was named professor emeritus of art history.

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