[1] Born to Midwestern American citizens living in Germany, William Suhr began his career as an apprentice to a stonemason, "specializing" in stone Madonnas.
[1] Suhr's success in Berlin caught the attention of Wilhelm Valentiner, formerly of the Kaiser Friedrich Museum, who became director of the Detroit Institute of Arts in 1924.
In this role, he was able to take commissions from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, including an extensive restoration of Robert Campin's Mérode Altarpiece, now housed at The Cloisters.
[1] According to his Frick Collection colleague Edgar Munhall, Suhr's clients included Jules Bache, Alfred Barnes, Mildred Barnes Bliss, Walter Chrysler, Kenneth Clark, Stephen Clark, Chester Dale, Joseph Duveen, 1st Baron Duveen, Edsel Ford, Helen Clay Frick, William Randolph Hearst, Edward James, Samuel Henry Kress, Paul Mellon, John D. Rockefeller Jr., and Georges Wildenstein.
[3] Throughout his forty years at the Frick Collection, he kept meticulous records of the conservation procedures he performed, including more than 95 cleaning reports complete with treatment plans, thorough descriptions, and before-and-after photographs.