Dr. Paul Buttenwieser is a psychiatrist specializing in psychoanalysis, child and adolescent psychiatry. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history and literature at Harvard College and his M.D. at Harvard Medical School. He established his own psychiatric practice in 1971 and has taught at Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Hospital, Children’s Hospital, and the Boston Psychoanalytic Institute. He is also a writer, the author of two novels, Free Association and Their Pride and Joy, and several short stories.

In 1988, Dr. Buttenwieser and his wife, Katie, founded the Family-to-Family Project, an agency working with homeless families in the Boston area. He recently stepped down as chairman of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, after a decade of leading the Board of Trustees. During his tenure, he led the ICA in two capital campaigns for its new waterfront building, which opened in December 2006, and to establish an endowment and permanent collection. He is a Trustee and former Chair of the American Repertory Theater, a Trustee of Partners in Health, an honorary Trustee of the Museum of Fine Arts, a member of the President’s Advisory Council at Berklee College of Music, a member of the Director’s Advisory Council of the Harvard University Art Museums, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was formerly a member of the Board of Overseers of Harvard University. At Harvard’s 2010 commencement, President Drew Faust awarded him the Harvard Medal for services to the University.