Walter Eugene "Gene" Kleinbauer Jr.

Walter Eugene Kleinbauer, Jr. (“Gene”), of Bloomington, Indiana, passed away peacefully in his home on June 3, 2019. Gene was born in Los Angeles, California to Walter Eugene Kleinbauer, Sr. and Bernice Frances Kleinbauer (formerly Barnett) on June 15, 1937. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach in 1955. Gene started his undergraduate work at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), before transferring to University of California, Berkeley (UCB) to complete his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Economics in 1959. While in his last year of undergraduate work, Gene took his first course in the history of art and discovered a new passion for the field. This prompted him to pursue a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in the History of Art at Berkeley, which he received in 1962. Gene continued his graduate education at Princeton University, earning a second master’s degree (M.F.A.) in 1964 and then a Ph.D. in 1967, writing his dissertation under Kurt Weitzmann and Richard Krautheimer of New York University. Gene started his teaching career as an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1965 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1972. In 1973, Gene relocated his family to Bloomington, Indiana, to accept the position of Chair of Fine Arts and Associate Professor at Indiana University. Professor Kleinbauer, a renowned expert on Early Christian and Byzantine art and architecture and the historiography of art history, continued to teach at Indiana University until his retirement as Full Professor in 2006. Professor Kleinbauer had a true passion for the field of art history, for teaching and advising his students, and for being part of the academic community at Indiana University over the 33 years he served as a professor and administrator there. His legacy lives on through his several publications, including “Modern Perspectives in Western Art History: an anthology of 20th-century writings on the visual arts” (1971) and “Hagia Sophia” (2004), as well as the scholarly pursuits of the many graduate student he supervised during his tenure. Beyond his scholarly pursuits, Gene will also be remembered fondly for so much more, including his love of family and country, his hearty laugh and great sense of humor, his strong interest and points of view in current events and politics, his courage of his own convictions, and his love of great food and James Bond movies. Gene is survived by his husband, Richard Lee Aebersold of Bloomington, his sons, Christopher Kleinbauer of Oakland, California, Mark Kleinbauer and Mark’s wife, Susan Park Kleinbauer, of Bloomington, Indiana, his two grandchildren, Nicki Kleinbauer and Cassidy Kleinbauer of Bloomington, and his brother, Thomas Kleinbauer of Orange, California. He was preceded in death by his beloved Golden Retrievers, Othello and Gracie, who served as his trusted companions for more than 10 years of his later life. A memorial service and celebration of life has been scheduled for Saturday, September 7th, from 4:00 to 5:30 pm at the Woodburn House located at 519 North College Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47404. Please RSVP to Amelia Berry (812-855-9390 or aiberry@indiana.edu) if interested in attending. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation on Gene’s behalf to the Monroe County Humane Society, 3410 South Walnut Street., Bloomington, Indiana 47401 (812-333-6242, mcha@monroehumane.org, or www.monroehumane.org/donate).Online condolences, photos, & memories may be shared with family and friends at allencares.com

Tributes

Walter Eugene "Gene" Kleinbauer Jr.

June 15, 1937 - June 3, 2019