Diana Kleiner

Diana Elizabeth Edelman Kleiner (September 18, 1947 – November 12, 2023) was an American art historian and educator. A scholar of Ancient Roman art and architecture, Kleiner was the Dunham Professor of the History of Art Emerita at Yale University.

Career Born in New York City to Morton Henry and Hilda Rachel Wyner Edelman, Kleiner received a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College in 1969. She then continued on to Columbia University to earn degrees in Art History: a Master of Arts in 1970, a Master of Philosophy in 1974, and Doctor of Philosophy in 1977. Kleiner wrote a highly praised doctoral dissertation on Roman funerary art.

Kleiner began her teaching career as a lecturer in art history at the University of Virginia in 1975. A year later, she was named Assistant Professor of Art History at Harvard University. In 1980, Kleiner was hired by Yale University, and was promoted to Associate Professor two years later. In 1989, she became the Dunham Professor of the History of Art, a position held until retirement, when she was named Emeritus. Additionally, from 1995 to 2003, Kleiner was the Deputy Provost for the Arts.

Personal life In 1972, Kleiner married fellow art historian Fred Scott Kleiner, Professor of Art History and Archeology Emeritus at Boston University. The couple met at Columbia and have one child, Alexander. In 2020, the Kleiners had the Saloni room at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens named in their honor. In 2023 the Kleiners named the Athenian Agora Courtyard Garden and the Hesperia Room at Loring hall, the School's residence hall.

Kleiner died on November 12, 2023, at the age of 76.

In 2024, the fitness room in Loring Hall was named by Fred Kleiner in tribute to his late wife. Kleiner was considered an esteemed member of the American School community.

Select works Roman Imperial Funerary Altars with Portraits, 1987 Cleopatra and Rome, 2005 Roman Architecture: A Visual Guide, 2014