Joseph M. Dye III, Ph.D., 72, one of the country’s leading experts in South Asian art, died Oct. 21, 2017, in Richmond, Virginia. The cause was complications of Parkinson’s disease.
Dr. Dye was born in Belleville, Kansas, on Aug. 27, 1945, the eldest of six sons raised by the late Pauline M. and Joseph M. Dye Jr. He grew up in Omaha and, later, North Platte, where he graduated from high school in 1963.
He received a bachelor’s degree in history in 1967 from the College of William and Mary, with a concentration in the history of the Antebellum era in the southern United States. He subsequently received a doctorate in art history from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, where he studied under Stella Kramrisch, a renowned specialist in the art of India.
Dr. Dye served as a curator at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond from 1980 until he retired at the end of 2010. He was also an adjunct professor of art history at his alma mater, the College of William and Mary, where he taught a rotation of highly popular classes in the arts of India, China and Japan from 1987 until 2009.
At the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Dr. Dye began his career as the curator of Asiatic art, later transitioning to become the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter curator of South Asian and Islamic art as the museum developed greater specialization in its collections. Under his guidance and keen eye, the museum significantly expanded its holdings of Indian and Himalayan art. Today, this South Asian collection is widely recognized as one of the finest and most important in the United States. Dr. Dye became the chief curator of the museum in 1997 and had that position until his retirement.
Dr. Dye authored and co-authored several books on Indian art, including “Romance of the Taj Mahal” and “Ways to Shiva.” His most influential work, however, was “The Arts of India,” a comprehensive catalogue of Indian art in the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. This work remains the finest and most comprehensive catalogue in the field of South Asian art. He also contributed to a number of exhibitions, including “Manifestations of Shiva,” for the Philadelphia Museum of Art; “Romance of the Taj Mahal,” for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Toledo Art Museum; and “Mystic Visions” and “Worlds of Wonder and Desire,” at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Over the course of his life, Dr. Dye traveled extensively throughout India as well as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal and Tibet, among other destinations. His intimate knowledge and love of these countries, their people and religions enhanced his work as a curator and also made him a captivating guide for the many highly popular tours he lead for museum members.
Dr. Dye served on the board of the Muscarelle Museum of Art on the campus of the College of William and Mary from 1984 until 2000. In 2011, the South Asian Studies Association presented an award to Dr. Dye for his exemplary work in raising the profile of Indian art in the United States.
Dr. Dye was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph M. Dye Jr. and Pauline M. Dye.
He is survived by his five brothers, P. Scott Dye, Kirk T. Dye, Alexander M. Dye, William N. Dye and John R. Dye, their wives and 10 nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Services will be at a later date at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
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