A native of
St. Louis, Cuno received a
Bachelor of Arts in
History from
Willamette University in 1973. He then earned two
Master of Arts degrees in
art history from the
University of Oregon and
Harvard University, in 1978 and 1980 respectively. In 1977, Cuno married his Willamette classmate, Sarah Stewart. He continued on at Harvard to receive a
Doctor of Philosophy in art history in 1985, and his doctoral dissertation was on the artist
Charles Philipon. While working on the doctorate, Cuno worked as assistant curator of prints at the
Harvard Art Museums from 1980 to 1983. In that final year, he was hired as assistant professor of art history at
Vassar College, a position that he held until 1986. Cuno quickly began an illustrious career in museum directorship, serving as the director of many notable institutions within the
United States and abroad. He first served as director of the Grunwald Center for Graphic Arts at the
Hammer Museum from 1986 to 1989, and the
Hood Museum of Art until 1991. Cuno was then appointed Elizabeth and John Moors Cabot Director of the Harvard Art Museums from 1991 to 2002, replacing
Edgar Peters Bowron, and then moved on to the
Courtauld Institute of Art for a year from 2003 to 2004, succeeding
Eric Fernie. While at Harvard, he was elected to the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2001. He left the Courtauld to head the
Art Institute of Chicago as Eloise W. Martin Director until 2011, replacing
James N. Wood. In that final year, Cuno became the president and chief executive officer of the
J. Paul Getty Trust, and retired as of July 31, 2022. During his career, Cuno has also served as director of the
Association of Art Museum Directors. ==Works==