Richard Fazzini

Egyptologist and curator emeritus at the Brooklyn Museum, was one of America’s foremost authorities on ancient Egyptian art.

Armed with an MA from NYU, Richard joined the museum as assistant curator of Egyptian art in 1969. From 1983 until his retirement in 2006, he chaired the department of Egyptian, Classical and Ancient Middle Eastern Art and published widely in his area. Working for a museum does not mean spending every day at the office, however. Especially if you’re an archeologist. In the mid-1970s, he launched an expedition to the complex of temples and tombs near Luxor Egypt. His focus was the precinct of the goddess Mut, an unusual and important deity. The precinct opened to the public in 2014.

Richard and his wife Mary McKercher, a talented photographer and an archeologist in her own right, took great joy in the Mut project, often working with other American and European experts. The couple met when he hired her for a season as official dig photographer. By the time the season was over, they were engaged. They married in 1979 and returned to Mut often to complete the work.

For much of the last two decades, Richard dealt with a range of serious health problems, including significant dementia. Mary cared for him lovingly until her death in August of 2023. When it was no longer possible for Richard to live at home, even with 23-hour care, he moved into the Sunrise facility at Sheepshead Bay. His family and friends are grateful for the care he received, at home and at Sunrise, since Mary’s death.

Richard died on May 9.

A memorial gathering in his honor will be held later in the year.