Franciscono, Marcel (1931-2019) | University of Illinois Archives

Marcel Franciscono (1931-2019 became an instructor at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana in 1965 before he became an assistant professor of Art in 1969. In 1972, he became an associate professor; he became a full professor in 1988 until he retired in 1996. Born in New Rochelle, New York, Franciscono received a Bachelor of Arts in painting (magna cum laude) from Queens College (1952), and a Master of Arts (1959) and Ph.D. (1969) in art history from the New York Institute of Fine Arts. Specializing in 20^th century painting and architecture--and in particular the German Bauhaus movement and the works of Paul Klee--Franciscono published three books: Walter Gropius and the Creation of the Bauhaus in Weimar (1971), Paul Klee: His Work and Thought (1991), and The Modern Dutch Poster: The First 50 Years (1987). His work on Dutch posters was published as part of an exhibition at the Krannert Art Museum, where he gave multiple lecture series after his retirement. Franciscono also published articles such as The Imagery of Max Beckmann's The Night (1973) and Paul Klee's Italian Journey and the Classical Tradition (1974). Franciscono was especially renowned and beloved as an outstanding teacher. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and was awarded the Duveen Research Fellowship of the New York Institute of Fine Arts. Marcel Franciscono was married to Renate Franciscono, with whom he had two children. Franciscono died in his sleep on February 25, 2019.

Marcel Franciscono was married to Renate (Baron) Franciscono, with whom he had two children. Renate Baron's parents, Hans and Edith Baron, their son Rinehart, and Renate (born in 1934 and left in the care of her Berlin grandmother) were Holocaust refugees from Berlin, Germany. Escaping the National Socialist regime in 1934, Hans and Edith originally went to Italy, where due to the Mussolini regime they were unable to find permanent refuge. They returned to Berlin in 1935. Only Edith, Renate, and Rinehart then were allowed to travel to England. Because of England's attempt to restrict male refugees from entering the country -- to protect their labor market - Hans Baron could only join them in England later and on a temporary basis. The family finally immigrated to New York in 1938. Unfortunately, Hans Baron's extensive library was burned in a ship in the London Harbor, but his papers documenting his career as a preeminent Renaissance historian are preserved at the Duke University Archives in North Caroline and the Leo Baeck Institute  in New York. Renate Franciscono worked as a translator, including translating her father's works from German to English.

Chicago Tribune. (2021, August 8). Hans Baron, Renaissance historian. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 11, 2022, from https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-12-04-8802210766-story.html

Hans Baron. obo. (n.d.). Retrieved August 11, 2022, from https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195399301/obo-9780195399301-0392.xml

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In Memoriam Marcel Franciscono. School of Art & Design. (n.d.). Retrieved August 11, 2022, from https://art.illinois.edu/about-us/news/in-memoriam-marcel-franciscono/ Chicago Tribune. (2021, August

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News-Gazette, T. (2019, February 28). Marcel Franciscono. Gazette. Retrieved August 11, 2022, from https://www.news-gazette.com/obituaries/marcel-franciscono/article_fd1a4647-61b8-5310-b80c-06849be727ba.html

Salomon Alexander (the father of the father of the mother of Doron Zeilberger). The Father of the Father of the Mother of Doron Zeilberger. (n.d.). Retrieved August 11, 2022, from https://sites.math.rutgers.edu/~zeilberg/family/solomon.html

The above website has been archived in the WayBack machine.