Existing comment:
Art of the Gift:
Recent Acquisitions:
This display celebrates some notable recent and promised gifts to the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, which together form the national museums of Asian art. The diversity and richness of Asian art are apparent in these acquisitions, which range in date from the seventh century to today and were made across a broad geographic sweep. Their unifying element is the generosity of the donors. Despite distinct interests and perspectives about Asian art, the donors share a common desire to enrich the public's appreciation of Asian culture. Their gifts add new vitality to the museums.
Both museums have origins in the visionary collecting interests and donations of individual founders: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919) and Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987). From the time of their openings in 1923 and 1987, respectively, the Freer and Sackler Galleries have benefited greatly from the imagination, knowledge, and generosity of donors. Gifts of art and purchase funds offered by individuals for specific collection areas, as well as the collective contributions of the Friends of the Freer and Sackler Galleries, enable the museums to better represent Asian visual culture in exciting ways. Some funds have allowed for the creation of collecting areas, such as contemporary photography, that go beyond the initiatives of the founders. The great strength of the collections of the Freer and Sackler Galleries will always be closely connected to the beneficence of our patrons, and we thank them for their largesse and vision. |