In honor of these visionary collectors and benefactors, the Fogg set up a special exhibition in late September of this year entitled, "Heavenly Twins': Edward W. Forbes, Paul J. Sachs and the Building of a Collection." The exhibition draws from works the two men acquired over the years and features drawings by Corot, Durer, Degas, Picasso and many others.
100 Years of Philanthropy
Professors at the Fogg will quickly tell you they have an equally extensive and prestigious list of benefactors to thank. Perhaps the greatest of all was Grenville Winthrop (Class of 1886) who once gave 155 drawings to the Fogg instead of the Smithsonian because he felt the Cambridge museum would stress the education of the young rather than the pleasure of the general public.
Another major benefactor, Adolphus Busch of beer and Clydesdale fame, was more interested in his own cultural roots, so he founded the Germanic Museum in 1903 and turned over a large gift of statues, sculptures and plaster-cast architecture samples to the Museums. Now the Center for European Studies, Busch Hall drew some of the most important Germanic art in all of North America when Bauhaus and Expressionist artists seeking refuge brought their private collections.
Since their inception, the museums have been private institutions and therefore have relied almost entirely on private funds to accomplish their goals. The late '60s saw the inception of National Endowment for the Arts funding for the arts at Harvard, but for the most part all programming derives its funding from the income of endowments. The Fogg itself opened with a gift from New York philanthropist Mrs. Elizabeth Fogg. The Busch-Reisinger additions and most recently the Werner Otto Hall have all been built with private money.
President Neil L. Rudenstine has a clear vision of the museums' priorities. "The needs of Harvard's art museums at this time are substantial: to maintain our collection properly; to provide proper space and endowment for the Straus Center for Conservation; to create a critically important climate-control system for the Fogg Art Museum; and to endow key curatorships and programs."
With Harvard's total art collection growing at around 10 percent each decade, one can easily understand the compulsion to sustain this tremendous effort through the 21st century. "We have been given a great responsibility," says James Cuno, Director of the Museums, "as we seek to ensure the future of this outstanding institution, the accomplishments of our predecessors...require of us a selfless commitment."