Neal Timothy Turtell

Neal Turtell passed away of natural causes in his home in Arlington, Virginia, on April 1, 2021, at the age of 71. In 2014, he married Thomas Klarner, his partner of thirty-five years, with whom he created a successful check printing company, Best Checks. Mr. Klarner died in 2014.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Mr. Turtell received his B.A. in Art History from Fordham University, and an MS in Library Science from the Pratt Institute. After brief stints at the Ford Foundation and the Department of Transportation and a year as Special Projects librarian for the Smithsonian Institute, he joined the National Gallery of Art library staff in 1983 as Deputy Chief Librarian. He quickly became a strong advocate for the library and played a significant role in making it the first-rate research collection it is today. As Executive Librarian from 1986 to 2017, Mr. Turtell led the library in a time of rapid technological change and fostered the library’s participation in far-ranging collaborative projects. His most enduring legacy is the library’s extraordinary collection. During his tenure, the collection grew threefold to nearly 500,000 volumes––including more than 12,000 rare and artists’ books––and 15 million images, bringing a bibliophile’s discerning eye and a keen intellect to every aspect of his work. His abiding love for books, art, theater, and travel was evident in every conversation, as was his ready wit.

Neal was a member of the Cosmos Club and was professionally active in several bibliographic societies, including the Grolier Club, the Association Internationale de Bibliophilie, associate editor of the Photographic Project and The Cicognara Project of the Vatican Library, the Washington Book Table, and the Art Libraries Society of North America. An avid traveler and hiker, he and his husband Tom collected contemporary art and engaged in philanthropy, helping to fund many art exhibitions and raising funds for the Little Sisters of the Poor.

He is survived by his brother, Steve Turtell of New York City. A younger sister, Stacey Ann Turtell, died in 2019. Memorial contributions may be made to the Little Sisters of the Poor, Jeanne Jugan Residence, 4200 Harewood Road, NE, Washington DC 20017. A visitation will be held on Monday, April 19, from 4PM-8PM at Murphy Funeral Home in Arlington. A graveside service will take place at Congressional Cemetery on Tuesday, April 20 at 12PM. For further information, please visit www.murphyfuneralhomes.com