From Deseret News archives:
William Seifrit, art expert, dies
Seifrit was born in 1935 in Fairmont, W.V. In 1956, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Fairmont State College. A year later he earned a Master of Arts at Ohio University and, in 1965, a Ph.D. at the same university.
After arriving in Utah in 1973, he served as a facilities analyst for the Utah State Building Board while also working in public relations and development for Ballet West.
Along with Robert Olpin, dean of the University of Utah's college of fine arts, and Vern Swanson, director of the Springville Museum of Art, Seifrit co-authored three extensive books on Utah's art history and Utah's visual arts ("Utah Art," "Utah Painting and Sculpture" and "Artists of Utah").
"When Bill moved to Utah," said Gary Swensen, a friend and fellow art collector, "I think he became a treasure to the Utah art world. The three books that he, Bob and Vern put together has changed the whole art awareness among an increasing number of collectors here in Utah."
In 1985, Seifrit was appointed to the first Salt Lake County Art Advisory Board. Two years later, he became part of a seven-person art acquisition committee to purchase $250,000 worth of works by Utah artists, past and present.
"Bill cared about both modern and traditional art," said Swanson. "He was interested in the whole package. He collected art; he had an eye and a passion for it."
Seifrit's passion for art was exceeded only by his passion for service.
"He was always looking for someone to help," said David Ericson, a friend and owner of David Ericson Fine Art. "When Bob Olpin passed away, he was the nucleus behind creating a fund in Bob's name at the University of Utah."
At the time of Olpin's passing, there was a concern that scholarly studies on Utah's art history might wane. Seifrit wanted to make sure this didn't happen.
"Bill was the type of person who would see a need and go out of his way to make something happen that would be in everybody's interest," Ericson said. "And he never felt the need to accept any of the credit."
According to Swanson, Seifrit was well beloved by everybody. "He was a giver; he gave all his information away. He worked hard to get it, and then he just gave it away to anybody who asked for it. So many scholars are selfish with their material, but Bill was just the opposite. Because, you see, it wasn't about him, it was about Utah art and how he could promote it. That was his mission."
E-mail: gag@desnews.com
