David Barquist '75

David Barquist is the H. Richard Dietrich Jr. curator of American decorative arts at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He is world renowned as an expert in decorative arts, which takes him around the globe for lectures and exhibits. Closer to home, his expertise is tapped to support the White House, Dept. of State and other historic collections of American artifacts. After graduating from Trinity Prep as salutatorian of the Class of 1975, David graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and received a master’s degree from the Winterthur program in American Material Culture at the University of Delaware, and a Ph.D. in the history of art from Yale. He is also president of the Decorative Arts Society in New York. As a leading curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, David has pioneered the integration of exhibits so that visitors see fine arts and decorative arts on display together. He has curated many exhibits at the Philadelphia Museum, Yale Art Gallery, and other institutions.