Alexander Nemerov GRD ’92, chair of the History of Art Department and the professor behind Yale’s most popular course, will leave Yale at this academic year’s end to start teaching at Stanford in the fall.

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“I’m very sad that I won’t be teaching here anymore,” Nemerov said in a Tuesday interview. “I have great feelings about Yale and this was a very difficult decision, but I’m happy to begin the next phase of my career at Stanford.”

In January, Nemerov told the News that he received a job offer from Stanford sometime after the start of the spring semester. At that time, he had not yet decided whether to stay. On Tuesday, he said he made his decision in the past few days.

Nemerov’s survey course, “Introduction to the History of Art: Renaissance to the Present,” was the most popular class this semester. Nearly 500 students were shopping the class before Nemerov decided to cap it.

Nemerov is no stranger to Palo Alto — he taught at Stanford before joining Yale’s faculty in 2001.

JULIA ZORTHIAN