The exhibition, Studio Visit: Selected Gifts from Agnes Gund, celebrates Gund’s contributions as a patron of the arts, a collector, and a longtime Trustee of The Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1. On view from April 29, 2018, through July 22, 2018, the presentation pays tribute to the more than 800 works of art she has funded over the past half century. These gifts have come steadily and reliably during her decades of service as a key member of several departmental acquisition committees and her tenure as the Museum’s President from 1991 to 2002.
A studio visit provides an opportunity for some of the most meaningful encounters, conversations, and exchanges between artists, friends, curators, and collectors. Agnes Gund—or “Aggie,” as she is affectionately known—is one of the most dedicated and steadfast of studio visitors, consistently inspired by the thrill of looking and talking with artists in the presence of their artworks. Gund is committed to supporting a vast range of artists, from celebrated figures she counts among her close friends to emerging talents whose work she champions. “My friendships with artists,” she has said, “as well as a sensitivity to the challenges facing women artists and artists of color, have been formative in shaping my collection, which is deeply personal and deeply autobiographical.” The exhibition will reflect the depth of her collecting by bringing together a broad-ranging group of artworks from the 1950s to today in a non-chronological display that sets visitor favorites, seldom seen works, and recent acquisitions in dialogue with one another. Presenting a selection of 55 works Gund has given to MoMA, the exhibition shows that our collection would not be what it is today without her deeply held convictions and unparalleled generosity.
Organized by Ann Temkin, The Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Chief Curator, and Cara Manes, Assistant Curator, with Mia Matthias, Curatorial Fellow, Department of Painting and Sculpture. Special thanks to Klaus Biesenbach, Chief Curator at Large, MoMA, and Director, MoMA PS1.
