Statement from the Dallas Museum of Art

One of Dallas’s most dedicated and prominent philanthropists, Nancy Blackburn Hamon was a spirited civic leader and a passionate benefactor of the arts, education, and medicine. Mrs. Hamon was a gracious and beloved member of the Dallas community and generously contributed more than $100 million over the course of her life to its cultural and educational institutions, with additional significant gifts that ranged from the donation of the first gorilla pair to the Dallas Zoo to the gift of a remarkable J.M.W. Turner painting for the Dallas Museum of Art. Her unwavering support of the Dallas Museum of Art dates to 1955, when she first joined the institution’s board of trustees. Throughout her long and inspired relationship with the DMA, she gave tremendously through volunteer leadership and financial support, totaling more than $34 million for exhibitions, educational programming, and capital enhancements at the Museum. Mrs. Hamon’s remarkable contributions also provided funding for building of the Museum’s Nancy and Jake L. Hamon Building, a 140,000-square-foot wing for the DMA’s collections and special exhibition programming that has become integral to the Museum experience.

Mrs. Hamon’s tenure on the Museum’s board of directors is marked by important institutional milestones, including the merger with the Dallas Museum for Contemporary Arts in the 1960s and the move to the downtown Dallas Arts District in the 1980s. In the 1970s, Mrs. Hamon and her husband Jake L. Hamon were instrumental in the joint acquisition of the Nora and John Wise Collection, one of the foremost private holdings of its kind, which encompasses some 2,700 ancient American works of art, including gold, silver, ceramics, textiles, wood, and stone from the Central Andes of South America. The Wise Collection marked a vital step in the expansion of the Museum’s collections and its transformation into an encyclopedic institution of global stature.

Mrs. Hamon also made numerous gifts of art to the Museum both from her personal collection and her foundation, including: J.M.W. Turner’s magnificent painting Bonneville, Savoy (1803) presented in memory of her husband and featured in the DMA’s acclaimed 2008 exhibition J.M.W. Turner, and Our Daily Bread, Rene Magritte’s 1942 oil on canvas given in honor of her friend and fellow Museum patron Margaret McDermott. In turn, Mrs. McDermott has made a promised gift of a masterwork from her collection in honor of Mrs. Hamon, Monet’s famed Water Lilies – The Clouds (1903)—considered one of the most important Impressionist paintings in private hands in Texas. In addition, Mr. and Mrs. Hamon provided funding for the Museum’s acquisition of more than 150 contemporary prints.

In 1988, shortly after the Museum relocated to its new building in downtown Dallas, Mrs. Hamon gave $20 million for the construction of a new wing for special exhibitions and expanded collections galleries. Designed by architect Edward Larrabee Barnes to complement his original design for the Museum’s 1984 building, the Nancy and Jake L. Hamon Building opened in 1993. The wing is home to the Museum’s ancient American, American and decorative art galleries; special exhibitions galleries; a public research library; and the Museum Store. The setting for much of the Museum’s public programs, including Jazz in the Atrium and Late Nights, the Hamon Building has become the heart of the visitor experience at the DMA.

Mrs. Hamon’s passion for the arts was developed early in life, primarily through the study of painting and ballet. She worked as a professional dancer in California, before meeting and marrying her husband Jake L. Hamon in 1949. A legendary Dallas wildcatter, prominent civic leader, and founder of the gas and oil company Hamon Operating Company, Mr. Hamon passed away in 1985. His notable associations included the Dallas Museum of Art, the Dallas Zoological Society, and the Dallas Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. The couple had one son, Jake “Jay” Hamon, who died in 1984. The Hamon Building at the Dallas Museum of Art was Mrs. Hamon’s first significant individual act of philanthropy after the death of both her husband and son.

The Dallas Museum of Art is one of several important community institutions that have benefited from Mrs. Hamon’s active philanthropy in Dallas. Her most significant contributions in the Dallas community include: a gift to the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House for a rehearsal, education and recital space; a gift to Booker T. Washington School for the Performing and Visual Arts; a gift for the founding of the SMU Hamon Arts Library, a research facility; UT Southwestern for biomedical research; significant contributions to the Jake Hamon Gorilla Conservation Research Center at the Dallas Zoo, where the Hamons donated the first gorilla pair in 1957; and support for the Hamon Tower at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, named in her recognition.

Mrs. Hamon also was a strong source of support for both public and private institutions in San Francisco, where she divided her time, among them among them The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, The San Francisco Public Library, Grace Cathedral, and California Pacific Medical Center.

Mrs. Hamon was not only known for her incredible philanthropy, but her sense of style, grace, wit, enjoyment of life, and impeccable taste, which is reflected in her far-ranging and generous endeavors. The Dallas Museum of Art will remember Mrs. Hamon in a private ceremony.

Olivier Meslay, Interim Director of the Dallas Museum of Art

“Nancy was an extraordinary benefactor of our city’s most important cultural and educational institutions, and she was a beloved member of our Dallas Museum of Art family for more than 50 years. Her support touched all aspects of the Museum and helped the DMA grow into the institution of international prominence that it is today. Her legacy lives on in particular through the DMA’s Hamon Building, which contributes greatly to the life and personality of our Museum and the City. She will be long-remembered for her love of art, gracious hospitality, civic spirit and tremendous philanthropy.”

John Eagle, President of the Dallas Museum of Art Board of Trustees

“Nancy Hamon has been a model philanthropist — volunteering her time for the museum, supporting programs and exhibitions, enhancing the facilities and donating works to the collection, leaving a legacy that has transformed the museum and the role it plays in the lives of people in Dallas and beyond.”

Peter Marzio, Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH photo)

Last Thursday, Peter C. Marzio, director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) for almost 30 years, died at age 67. Mr. Marzio elevated the MFAH to major-museum status. He will be greatly missed.

The following is from the news release from the MFAH:

Peter Marzio, visionary Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, dedicated his career to making the art of world cultures accessible to all. He often recounted how art had changed his life. As a freshman on an athletic scholarship at Juniata College in Pennsylvania, he took a course in art history. A class assignment sent him to the Frick Collection in New York, where he was inspired by a Goya painting. This first museum visit was the beginning of his belief that art had the power to enrich life. He went on to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in Art History and American History. He began his career at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., as a curator of Prints and Drawings. There his prolific exhibitions and publications were innovative and celebrated for their democratic spirit and broad appeal. In 1978 he became director of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, where he worked to expand the audience base, strengthen its art school, and promote its famous permanent collection of American and European art.

In 1982, he was recruited by the trustees of the MFAH. Houston and Peter Marzio were a perfect match. He loved the city’s entrepreneurial spirit, “can do” attitude, and diversity. Houston welcomed him, and he embraced the city and museum. As Director, Peter Marzio was the maestro; he directed major expansion and construction projects, led capital campaigns, and served on many boards and advisory councils. He was a member of the Association of Art Museum Directors, and its President from 1988 to 1989. From 1997 to 2000, Peter Marzio was chairman of the Federal Council on the Arts and Humanities in Washington, D.C. He became a member of the Wallace Foundation Board in New York in 2001. He was also president of the Houston Museum District Association from 2001 to 2005. A prolific author, his most recent books included American Art & Philanthropy (2010), Masterpieces from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: Director’s Choice (2009) and A Permanent Legacy: 150 Works from the Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (1989).

During Peter Marzio’s 28-year tenure, the museum’s collections grew from 13,000 artworks to 62,172. Attendance soared from 380,000 to over 2 million a year. Exhibitions proliferated, and grew from 26 in 1983 to 41 in 2009. But these remarkable statistics cannot convey the institution’s exciting chemistry and interaction of ideas, programs and people that Peter Marzio inspired.

His vision and leadership brought extraordinary, diverse, and original exhibitions to Houston. They included Treasures from the Shanghai Museum; Fresh Paint: The Houston School; Frederick Remington, The Masterworks; Rediscovering Pompeii; The Quilts of Gee’s Bend; Splendor of Ancient Egypt; Jewels of the Romanoffs; History of Japanese Photography; The Heroic Century: The Museum of Modern Art Masterpieces; Inverted Utopias: Avant-Garde Art in Latin America; The Peter Blum Edition Archive, 1980–1994; Masterpieces of French Painting from the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul; Old Masters, Impressionists, and Moderns: French Masterworks from the State Pushkin Museum, Moscow; and Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria.

Peter Marzio developed a multitude of programs to serve the diverse community he loved. In 1983, he initiated Free Thursdays. In 1993, the 10-year Lila Wallace educational program, A Place for All People, was launched. It was followed by the Wallace Gateway to Art/De Puertas al Arte 2004–2008 program for the Latin American communities and collections. As an educator of the first order, Peter Marzio was most proud of the museum’s outreach to schools, the Kinder Foundation Education Center; the Kilroy Education Center for Bayou Bend; and the Glassell School of Art.

Major collections came to the museum during Peter Marzio’s tenure: the Audrey Jones Beck Collection; the Harris and Carroll Masterson house museum, Rienzi; the Caroline Wiess Law Collection; and the Glassell Gold Collections. Under his direction, an unprecedented partnership was forged with the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation. Cornelia Long, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, described him: “Peter was a visionary leader. He believed the museum was a place for all people and worked tirelessly to make the collection accessible and the educational and exhibition schedules exciting. He embraced diversity and the public. The trustees of the MFAH will continue to do so as well.”

Peter Marzio died a proud Houstonian whose legacy will enhance the lives of generations to come. A memorial, to be announced at a future date, will be held at the museum to celebrate his 28 years as Director of the MFAH.

Peter Marzio, Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH photo)

Carolyn Hill (May 1, 1938 - May 12, 2010)

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing Carolyn Hill, retired executive director of Oklahoma City Museum of Art, who died in Oklahoma City on May 12, 2010 following an extended illness. She was 72. Carolyn will forever be remembered for her lifelong love, passion, and achievements in the arts and for leaving behind her indelible mark on the fabric our community.

A native Oklahoman, Carolyn received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Oklahoma then completed post-graduate studies at The Julliard School, New York, and The Mozarteum, Salzburg, Austria. Her interest in the arts extended beyond music, and she continued her studies in art history at major European museums during several summers abroad.

She spent more than 30 years in New York City, where her professional career focused on the arts and arts education. She taught music and was director of the art and music department at the United Nations International School, music director and conductor of the Livingston Symphony Orchestra, and president and director of the Carolyn Hill Gallery.

She returned to Oklahoma City in 1993 to care for her aging mother and was appointed executive director of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art in 1994. During her tenure, she was instrumental in raising the funds for the Museum’s move from its location at Fair Park to the Donald W. Reynolds Visual Arts Center in the heart of downtown Oklahoma City, as well as the funds for the purchase of 18 glass installations by Dale Chihuly, the largest collection in the world. She also brought national recognition to the Museum with the establishment of film and education programs and outstanding international exhibitions, including the blockbuster exhibition Roman Art from the Louvre.

“Through her passion for the arts, strong leadership and bold vision, Carolyn Hill transformed the Oklahoma City Museum of Art from a small museum at the fairgrounds into a vibrant and very important cultural component of our city and state. Equally adept at promoting Roman Art from the Louvre or NBA basketball, Carolyn played a major role in our collective effort to elevate Oklahoma City to the next level,” said Frank Hill, chairman of the Museum’s board of trustees.

Carolyn retired as executive director of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art in December 2008. Upon stepping down, she wrote: “I have been more than fortunate to have worked with a dedicated board and staff to advance the Museum’s development. It has been serendipity that these years have coincided with the City’s renaissance. I have every confidence that the Museum’s best days lie ahead.”

Revered by her staff, patrons and friends, Carolyn was the recipient of the By-liners Award for Arts in 1997, the Governor’s Arts Award in 2001 and the Stanley Draper Award for Community Excellence in 2003, and was inducted in The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools’ Wall of Fame in 2008.

Carolyn was preceded in death by her parents, Virgil and Flora Hill, and her brother, Russell Hill. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Lois Hill, niece Debra Zobel, and cousins Philip Waters, Terri Gillick, Steven Knapp and Scott Knapp. Carolyn and her family and friends will be forever grateful to her dedicated caregivers who helped make her life meaningful during her illness.

A funeral service will be held at St. Paul’s Cathedral, 127 NW 7th Street in downtown Oklahoma City, on Wednesday, May 19, 10:00 a.m. A reception will be held at St. Paul’s immediately following the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, Oklahoma City, OK, 73102.

Carolyn Hill (May 1, 1938 - May 12, 2010)

Edmund P. Pillsbury Ph.D., Heritage’s Chairman of Fine Arts and Director of Museum Services

In Memoriam: Dr. Edmund P. Pillsbury – 1943-2010

A statement from Heritage Auctions Co-Founders Steve Ivy and Jim Halperin on the sudden passing of Edmund P. Pillsbury Ph.D., Heritage’s Chairman of Fine Arts and Director of Museum Services.

We learned this morning of the passing of Dr. Edmund P. (“Ted”) Pillsbury at the age of 66 from an apparent heart attack yesterday afternoon after returning from lunch with a consignor. All of us here at Heritage Auction Galleries wish to express our deepest sympathy to his wife, children, coworkers and all others who knew and loved him.

Dr. Pillsbury was well-known as one of the world’s foremost art museum professionals. He earned his Ph.D. in Italian Renaissance Art from the University of London’s Courtauld Institute of Art. Among the places that flourished under his leadership are: The Yale Center for British Art; the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art in London; the Kimbell Art Museum in Ft. Worth, TX (he served as director of the Kimbell for 18 years and built it into one of the greatest art museums in the world); the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art in Las Vegas, and the Meadows Museum at SMU. He also served as an advisor to The Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Ted joined the Heritage family in 2005 and, with his dynamism, unimpeachable reputation and encyclopedic knowledge of Fine Art, made an immediate impact as Chairman of our Fine Arts and Museum Services departments. He essentially built both departments from scratch, recruiting a world class team of experts and other professionals.

His tenure here at Heritage lasted nearly five years, the longest of any institution he served other than the Kimbell, and we all expected to be working with him for many more years to come. This is such a sad day for Heritage’s 375 employees, and for the art community at large. Ted will be terribly missed, though his legacy proudly continues.

Steve Ivy & Jim Halperin

Edmund P. Pillsbury Ph.D., Heritage’s Chairman of Fine Arts and Director of Museum Services

Veronica De Anda Tosten

Veronica DeAnda Tosten, our friend and Dallas based artist, is finally at rest after her six-year struggle with cancer. She was 33. Veronica is survived by her husband and fellow artist, Erik Tosten, her mother Maria, her father Ruben, and her sisters Debrah, Norma, Sandra, and brother Ruben II.

Veronica was known by all of her friends to possess an unfailingly sharp wit, peppered with a dry sense of humor. She was a quiet observer by nature; an aspect of her personality that featured heavily in her work.

In an art practice reminiscent of her small stature and soft manner, Veronica was inclined to favor the intimate over the grand, and the subtle over the overt. Her pieces are rife with quiet humor and poignancy, and while on the surface are generally light-hearted, suggest a greater narrative that speaks to the power and influence of the gentle. Her pieces deal with weighty subjects without threat or fear. Her work is accessible. This is its strength–it is small and quiet, intimate and inviting, yet is imbued with a resolution that speaks volumes.

Veronica received her BFA in painting at the University of Texas at El Paso. She went on to receive an MFA in Drawing and Painting at the University of North Texas in 2003. In addition, Veronica served faithfully and without equal for five years as a board member at 500X Gallery, even as her condition continued to deteriorate. After her time at 500X, Veronica worked as the Gallery Director at Mighty Fine Arts Gallery and continued to innovate her own work, all the while doing her best to maintain her health.

All of her friends and family, and the whole of the Dallas/Fort Worth Arts Community will sorely miss Veronica. She had a hard and valiant struggle with her illness and her respite had been a long time coming, but she rarely complained. That same resolution seen in her work is a reflection of its creator; her strength speaks volumes. Still, Veronica’s relief was overdue. As a close friend remarked most aptly on the day of her passing, “Your battle was so long…get some rest now”.

We will all miss you, Veronica.

The preceding was provided by Jim Burton, former board member of 500X Gallery, Adjunct Professor of Art, University of North Texas and friend.

Memorial at 500X Gallery

A memorial for Veronica will be at 500X Gallery this Saturday, February 13, from 2-5 p.m. A slide show celebrating Veronica’s life and art will be playing during the memorial. A eulogy written by Veronica will be read at the midpoint of the memorial. Veronica’s husband, Erik, would like donations be made to EASL in lieu of flowers.

Banana Peel by Veronica De Anda Tosten

Glassy Eyes and Wooden Teeth by Veronica De Anda Tosten

Thomas Hoving (Photo by Fred R. Conrad)

Dallas Art News is saddened by the passing of Thomas Hoving, former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Mr. Hoving was 78.

Mr. Hoving was more than just a museum director, he was also author of two successful books about his experiences at the Met: Making the Mummies Dance (1994) and False Impressions: The Hunt for Big-Time Art Fakes (1997). Both books give a behind the scenes look at a major museum.

Our fondness for Mr. Hoving comes primarily from his second book, False Impressions. We are very interested in the enigmas surrounding art including high prices, theft and forgery.

“Before reading False Impressions, I only considered forgeries to be paintings and drawings,” said Michael Roman, managing editor of Dallas Art News. “Afterward, I realize a forgery could be anything.”

Thank you, Mr. Hoving.

Other Forgery Books

Dallas Art News recommends the following books on forgery:

• The Art Forgers Handbook by Eric Hebborn
• False Impression: The Hunt for Big-Time Art Fakes by Thomas Hoving
• The Forger’s Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century by Edward Dolnick