The American Academy in Rome mourns the loss of Michael C. J. Putnam, who passed away on August 19, 2025. Through a nearly eight decade-long relationship with the Academy, Michael lent his sharp intellect to the organization as it evolved between the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, shaping not only the minds of thousands of fellows and residents, but the ethos of the American Academy in Rome as a whole.
A classicist specializing in Latin literature, Michael received his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University, where he wrote his dissertation on the poetry of Catullus. He wrote 15 books on topics as diverse as Virgil’s Aeneid and Horace’s Carmen Saeculare, and received honors and awards from the Vergilian Society of America and the Paideia Institute for Humanistic Study.
Michael first visited the Academy in the mid-1950s and shared his creative scholarship as a fellow in 1964 and as a resident 1970. He was the Andrew W. Mellon Professor-in-Charge of the School of Classical Studies from 1989 until 1991, when he was elected a trustee of the Academy. He was awarded the Academy’s Centennial Medal in 2009, and the Trustees’ Medal in 2010. He was elected a Lifetime Trustee in 2010, a title he shared only with Michael Graves.
Michael once wrote: “The American Academy claims a special place in the hearts and minds of those who have been touched by her magic.” We are confident all of those within our community who knew Michael share the same sentiment towards him, and the memory of his character will not be forgotten. We will keep Michael’s intellectual spirit alive as we continue to shape future generations of artists and scholars.
The Academy will continue to honor Michael's life and legacy in the coming months.