Anton Oscar Kris, MD, 2020 (1934 - 2021)
/Dr. Kris’ work has helped to sustain and grow Freud’s theories in an age that has misunderstood and challenged Freud’s relevance, while at the same time providing leadership in a careful reconsideration of them. Where necessary, Dr. Kris led discourse which criticized and corrected Freud without any trace of idealization or devaluation through careful study of Freud’s source material and method, free association. As the Archives’ Executive Director, Dr. Kris’ work included raising funds and establishing the freedom from copyright for Freud’s holographs and bringing the Archives into the public domain, publishing them on the Library of Congress website. The digitization of the Archives has exponentially expanded readership; in the first six months, the new pages received 165,000 visits.
Dr. Kris’ work balances a deep appreciation of psychoanalysis’ roots with a modern, humanistic approach to and adaptation of traditional Freudian concepts; the value of his efforts, already evident with multiple generations of analysts and psychotherapists, will continue to impact future generations.
A professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a psychoanalyst, a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, Dr. Kris, is also a past Executive Director of The Sigmund Freud Archives, Inc.
We are deeply saddened to lose Dr. Anton Kris, especially in the year following his Sigourney Award. Days before he died, he wrote an article for Psychiatric Times; we will provide a link here once it is published.
Link to Psychiatric Times article
ANTON KRIS (1934-2021) Obituary - Cambridge, MA - New York Times (legacy.com)