[2] An enthusiast of museums, he ended his 16-year career in academia to eventually work at the Walters Art Gallery.
[7] In addition to managing several major shows and thirty gallery renovations or reinstallations, he oversaw the acquisition of art encompassing all subject areas, including works by Annibale Carracci, Andy Warhol, and sixteenth-century Milanese armorer Pompeo della Cesa, as well as Constantinian jewelry and a 13th-century Pisan cross.
[1][8][9] Bergman also extensively published and lectured, discussing subjects such as medieval art and architecture or the role of museums in modern society.
At the CMA, he held annual lectures on historical monuments that attracted standing-room only audiences.
He led the American Association of Museum Directors and the American Arts Alliance, an organization that lobbied on behalf of various art organizations, and also served as chairman of the Cleveland Cultural Coalition and on the board of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association.