Winslow Homer to Jasper Johns, 75 Years of Giving To Addison Collection

Written by Tyrone Aron Sunday, 24 October 2010 00:01

Andover, MA - Since opening in 1931, the Addison Gallery of American Art’s collection has grown from approximately 500 works to more than 14,000. From Winslow Homer’s masterpiece Eight Bells to Jasper Johns’ pivotal work, Target, the Addison’s diverse collection has been the result of the vision and generosity of many donors throughout the years. In its new exhibition, 75 Years of Giving, the Addison pays tribute to four of these donors – Thomas Cochran, Lizzie Bliss, Edward Root and Frank Stella – and the impact each had on creating what has become one of the most important collections of American art in the country.

Thomas Cochran, a Phillips Academy alum and trustee, was the vision and driving force behind the creation of the Addison Gallery. While not a collector himself, Cochran was determined that the museum would be home to the finest examples of American art ever created. Between 1928 and 1931, Cochran relied on the advice and guidance of friends and purchased hundreds of works for the museum, including Homer’s Eight Bells and West Wind, John Twachtman’s Hemlock Pool, and George Bellow’s Anne in Purple Wrap, as well as works by John Singer Sargent, George Inness, Thomas Eakins and many more.

Cochran’s friend, Lizzie Bliss, was one of the most important collectors of American and European modernism in the early twentieth century. While better know for her association with the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Bliss played a pivotal role at the Addison when she bequeathed a portion of her collection to the museum. Bliss’s generosity included a number of brilliant watercolors by Maurice Prendergast, as well as works by Arthur B. Davies and Walt Kuhn’s Acrobat in Green.

A collector and teacher from New York, Edward Root visited the Addison in 1940 and felt a connection with the educational role of the museum and its mission to share art with ever broader audiences. With gifts that included Edward Hopper’s Freight Cars, Gloucester, Arthur Dove’s Autumn, and works by Mark Tobey and William Baziotes, Root enhanced the Addison’s collection of American modernism.

In the 1990’s, artist and Phillips Academy alumnus Frank Stella spearheaded an effort to augment the Addison’s holdings of mid-to late twentieth century works. In addition to co-chairing an art drive, Stella gave generously from his personal collection and brought iconic works by Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Adolph Gottlieb, Donald Judd and Mark Rothko to the Addison’s collection.

“Unlike many other institutions, the creation of the Addison didn’t begin with the desire to house someone’s important collection,” explained Brian Allen, Mary Stripp & R. Crosby Kemper Director of the Addison Gallery. “Cochran’s vision was to create a museum dedicated to sharing the very best in American art with the school, the region, and the world. The museum has been blessed by donors who have understood and affirmed this goal. 75 Years of Giving is a tribute and celebration of those who have made our collection what it is today.”

About the Addison Gallery of American Art

Devoted exclusively to American Art, the mission of the Addison Gallery of American Art is to acquire, preserve, interpret and exhibit works of art for the education and enjoyment of all. Opened in 1931, the Gallery has one of the most important collections of American art in the country that includes more than 13,600 works by prominent American artists such as George Bellows, John Singleton Copley, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, Georgia O’Keeffe and Jackson Pollock, as well as photographers Eadweard Muybridge, Walker Evans, Robert Frank and many more. The Addison Gallery, located on the campus of Phillips Academy in Andover, offers a continually rotating series of exhibitions and programs.

75 Years of Giving is on display until July 31, 2006. The Addison Gallery of American Art located on the campus of Phillips Academy in Andover.  Visit : www.addisongallery.org