Obituary: Edith Balas Was A Survivor and Art History Scholar

Edith Balas, an emeritus professor of art history at Carnegie Mellon University, died on Saturday, Nov. 16. She was 95.

Throughout her life, Balas persevered. She was born in Cluj, Romania, and grew up during the rise of Nazism as a Hungarian Jewish child. In 2011, Balas told her life’s story in a memoir published by Carnegie Mellon University Press, “Bird in Flight: Memoir of a Survivor and Scholar.” In the memoir, Balas recounts being deported with her family to the Nazi death camp Auschwitz, having her husband disappear after falling from favor with the communists and beating breast cancer five times.  

“Looking back at my life, there were many difficult events and scenes, but I felt I needed to recount what happened. I wanted young people to know about what happened at Auschwitz and that there is anti-Semitism in this world. It wasn’t easy,” Balas shared in a press release about her memoir.

Balas obtained her Ph.D. in art history from the University of Pittsburgh in 1973 and afterward became a professor in Dietrich College’s Department of History, where she taught for more than 30 years. A lover of art, music and literature, she authored more than 10 books in art history. In addition, she curated numerous art exhibits in the U.S. and Europe, primarily showcasing the works of Valentin Lustig, a Magical Realist painter from Cluj and child of Holocaust survivors. 

Balas was preceded in death by her husband of 70 years, Egon, who was University Professor of Industrial Administration and Applied Mathematics and The Thomas Lord Professor of Operations Research at the Tepper School of Business. Balas is survived by two daughters, Anna Balas and Vera Balas Koutsoyannis; three grandchildren, John Koutsoyannis, Robert (Bob) Koutsoyannis, and Alexander (Alex) Waldron; and eight great-grandchildren.

In partnership with the University of Pittsburgh Jewish Studies Program, Michal Rose Friedman, Jack Buncher Professor of Jewish Studies, in the Department of History, will be organizing the Edith Balas Endowed Lecture in Jewish Studies focused on Jewish studies and art. The first memorial lecture will take place in the fall of 2025.