Robert Henry Oppenheim

Robert Henry Oppenheim, known to family and friends as Bob, died at the age of 82 after a courageous three-year battle with a glioblastoma. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, on October 19, 1943, he built a life defined by family, art, teaching, and friendship.

Bob received a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and later earned an MFA from Michigan State University. He devoted much of his professional life to Simmons University, where he began teaching in the late 1960s and remained for more than forty years, retiring as Professor Emeritus. He founded the Simmons College Art Collection and was appointed Curator in 1975. In 1982, he became the inaugural Director of the Trustman Art Gallery, serving in that role until 2006. In 2011, his retirement was honored by the exhibition Simmons Collects ... In Honor of Robert Oppenheim. As teacher, curator, and gallery director, he played a significant role in the artistic life of the university and in the wider Boston art community. His own work was exhibited widely, including at the Howard Yezerski Gallery, and he was twice awarded fellowships in painting by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

A distinguished artist in painting, mixed media, and drawing, Bob made thread and stitched canvas central elements of his mature work. Over time, his art became a way of exploring fragility, repair, loss, and healing, with sewing and mending serving not only as technique but also as metaphor.

Bob was a man of rare kindness, grace, and steadiness. He was thoughtful, unassuming, and deeply generous. He loved jazz and embodied some of its finest qualities: subtlety, warmth, intelligence, and quiet depth. He was profoundly admired not only by family and friends, but also by students, colleagues, and all who had the good fortune to know him.

He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Roberta, and his son, Joshua. He leaves behind his daughter and son-in-law, Drs. Heather and Christopher Davidson, his cherished grandchildren, Zachary, Sophia, and Carter Davidson, and many other loving family members and dear friends who will miss him greatly.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Avenue in Providence, Rhode Island, on Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 1:30 p.m., followed by a private burial.

Shiva will be observed on Sunday, April 12, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., and Monday, April 13, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at 240 Bristol Road, Wellesley.