Alan Fink

It is with great sadness that the family of Alan Fink announces his death on March 21, 2017. Alan (also known by many as “Bop”) was born on July 17, 1925 in Chicago, IL to Joseph and Lilian (Rosenbloom) Fink. He was the brother of the late Corinne (Fink) Greenspan. He is predeceased by his wife, the artist Barbara Swan, who died in 2003. Alan is survived by his children Aaron and his wife Anne Mastrangelo of Brookline; and Joanna and her husband Richard Gönci of Cambridge. He is also survived by his grandchildren Nathaniel Fink, Abigail Fink and Noah Gönci; as well as nephews David Greenspan and Martin Greenspan.

Alan attended Volta Elementary School and Van Steuben High School in Chicago, where he was skipped two grades and landed in college at the age of 15. He graduated with a degree in business administration from the University of Illinois, Urbana and started work at an accounting firm in Chicago. His career path took a turn when, in 1949, he embarked on a two-year journey to Europe. Alan met his future wife in a café in Paris. Barbara was on a travelling fellowship from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, and Alan soon entered into a circle of artists and musicians including Luise Vosgerchian, Ralph Coburn and Ellsworth Kelly, among many others.

After two years, Alan returned to Chicago and Barbara returned to Boston. It didn’t take long for Alan to move to Boston and the two were married in 1952. Through Barbara’s connections in the art world, Alan landed a job as accountant for the Boris Mirski Gallery then on Newbury Street. He eventually became the gallery director. In 1967 he left Mirski and opened the Alpha Gallery, now in its 50th year of operation. His daughter Joanna is now the director and his son Aaron is a world-renowned artist represented by the gallery. He nurtured the careers of numerous emerging artists and brought exhibitions of such artists as Fairfield Porter and Milton Avery to Boston for the first time.

Alan also enjoyed decades spending summers at the family cottages in Rockport, MA., where he once served as treasurer of the Pigeon Hill Quarry Association. His passions included running (he once ran the Boston Marathon), tennis, chess, art of all eras, and jazz and classical music. Burial will be private. A celebration of his life will take place on a date to be announced.