Kaufmann wins award from Czech academy

Princeton's Thomas DeCosta Kaufmann has been awarded the F. Palacky Honorary Medal for Merit in Social Sciences by the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

In awarding the medal, the academy cited Kaufmann's research, which it said had gained worldwide recognition, and also expressed appreciation for his long-term cooperation with Czech scientists. Kaufmann has worked on behalf of the American Council of Learned Societies and the International Research and Exchange Board to establish a collaborative agreement with the Czech academy and arrange a number of international colloquia.

Kaufmann has been a professor of art and archaeology at Princeton since 1977. His many works on the art and architecture of central Europe have often touched on Czech cultural achievement, notably "The School of Prague: Painting at the Court of Rudolf II," which won the Mitchell Prize for the best book on art history published in the English language. Among his many honors, Kaufman has memberships in the Swedish, Polish and Belgian academies of sciences.