The Antiques Dealers’ Association of America (ADA) announced Morrison H. Heckscher as the recipient of the 2011 Award of Merit during its annual meeting this past weekend. The announcement was made in conjunction with the highly successful ADA Antiques Show conducted in Old Deerfield.

ADA president John Keith Russell enthusiastically stated, “Morrison Heckscher is more than deserving of this award for he has the respect and admiration worldwide of the antiques and institutional community.” In making the announcement to ADA members, Russell said “the membership was thrilled with the choice of the board of directors, and we are all looking forward to a wonderful evening on Saturday, April 9.”

Heckscher, who has served for more than 40 years in key curatorial positions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was named the Lawrence A. Fleischman chairman of The American Wing in 2001. He has served since 1978 as curator of American decorative arts, and since 1998 as Anthony W. and Lulu C. Wang curator, department of American decorative arts. He originally joined the Metropolitan Museum as a Chester Dale Fellow in the print department in 1966, and became a curator in the American Wing in 1968, serving in that capacity for the next ten years. From 1978 to 1998 he was curator of American decorative arts. His entire professional career has been spent at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Awards dinner chairman Arthur Liverant commented “ADA is thrilled with the opportunity to present this esteemed award to ‘Morrie.’ He is a very understated guy who certainly does not look for the spotlight †and while he may be understated, he has certainly not gone unnoticed.”

Liverant stressed the curator’s accomplishments and scholarly contributions, including several key reference books, such as American Furniture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Late Colonial Period: The Queen Anne and Chippendale Styles, as well as two books that accompanied landmark exhibitions at The Met; American Rococo, 1750‱775: Elegance in Ornamen, and John Townsend: Newport Cabinetmaker.

Heckscher has also curated numerous important exhibitions at The Met such as “An Architect and His Client: Frank Lloyd Wright and Francis W. Little,” 1973; “The Architecture of Richard Morris Hunt,” 1986; “The Architecture of The Metropolitan Museum of Art,” 1996; and “American Furniture and the Art of Connoisseurship,” 1998.

Liverant also noted Heckscher’s most recent accomplishments, the reinstallation of the rooms in the American Decorative Arts Wing at The Met. “He did a masterful job reestablishing all of these great examples of American furniture and art for people to see and study,” stated Liverant. “We feel very fortunate to be able to present this award to him.”

The awards dinner is presented in conjunction with the Philadelphia Antiques Show, April 9 through 12, at the Navy Yard, Philadelphia Cruise Terminal at Pier One, 5100 South Broad Street, Philadelphia. For further information about the show or ticket information for the awards dinner, 203-364-9913, email info@adadealers.com or visit the ADA website at www.adadealers.com .