Lee, Sherman E(mery) (1918–2008)

US art historian and museum director. He was associated with the Seattle Museum (1948–52) before joining the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1952; as its director (1958–83), he was widely credited with turning it into one of the major museums in the USA. He was also on the art faculty at Case Western Reserve University (1962–83). As a scholar, his speciality was Far Eastern art and his books include History of Far Eastern Art (1964).

Lee was born in Seattle, Washington. He studied at American University and Case Western Reserve University, gaining his PhD in 1941. He was a curator at the Detroit Institute of Fine Art (1941–46). Already known for his knowledge of Asian art, he served in Tokyo with the civil information and education section of the Allied Powers (1946–48).