Sarah Bekker Papers

Dr. Sarah Bekker was a noted scholar, author, and lecturer on Asian art, with special interests in Thai art and the peoples and art of Burma. The Collection is in two parts: the papers of Dr. Bekker and other scholars, and the slides taken by her and used for her lectures. The majority of slides relates to her study of Thai art, with many photos taken during her residence in Bangkok when her husband, Dr. Konrad Bekker, was stationed there in the late 1960s with the U.S. State Dept. She traveled and photographed widely throughout Asia during that time and until her death in 2013.

Sarah McInteer Bekker was born April 28, 1923, in Meade County, KY. In 1944 she received a B.A. from the University of Kentucky, and in 1946 an M.A. from the University of Minnesota. Her doctoral thesis, "The Burmese Concept of Anade: Its Function and Meaning in Interpersonal Relations" was submitted to George Washington University in 1963. Her professional work included scholarly articles, book reviews, and slide lectures and presentations at Asian art focused organizations throughout the US and abroad. Dr. Bekker conducted study tours for the Smithsonian Institution and other organizations. She died in Washington DC on April 1, 2013.

FSA A2013.04

Bekker, Sarah

Burma

Thailand

Gift, 2013.

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Slides (photographs)

Sarah Bekker Papers. FSA.A2013.04. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Several boxes of papers

Several boxes of slides

Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.

Slides (photographs)

Collection is open for research.