Acquisition and Gift Program
In 1996 Lannan Foundation created a museum gift program, offering pieces from its collection of over 1,000 works of modern and contemporary art to U.S. museums and making these important works accessible to significantly larger and more diverse audiences. The program was designed to increase the exposure of, accessibility to, and scholarship on artists represented in the foundation’s holdings.
Between January 1996 and August 2000 over 1,000 drawings, paintings, photographs, prints, sculptures and video installations were given to 78 museums in twenty-six states, the District of Columbia, and Mexico. The gift program was designed to match works with institutions where the pieces would become an active part of the collection. In fall 2000 Lannan Foundation decided to sell a group of twenty-three works at auction at Sotheby’s to support ongoing acquisitions and projects in contemporary art.
Our online database of Artists, Artworks, and Museum recipients is currently being upgraded. Artworks in the current Lannan Art Collection are listed however items gifted are not yet posted. We are adding images to the current collection. We apologize for any inconvenience to you.
The foundation continues to acquire and commission new work on a limited basis. As new pieces enter the foundation’s holdings, each is earmarked as a promised gift to a museum in the U.S. Among recent acquisitions are works by Guy Tillim, Doug Aitken, Uta Barth, Thomas Joshua Cooper, Roni Horn, Fred Sandback, and Robert Smithson.
Photo: Gerhard Richter’s Frau, die Treppe herabgehend [Woman Descending the Staircase], 1965
