75 Years of Giving

75 Years of Giving acknowledges some of the major donors who have had the vision and generosity to build the collection at the Addison-today one of the most important collections of American art in the country. It celebrates the deep and fruitful connections that have existed between art, donors, and the Addison over its seventy-five year history.

This exhibition will focus specifically on four important donors. The museum's founder, alumnus Thomas Cochran, was determined that the lives of Phillips Academy students would be enriched by exposure to the best of American art. Lizzie Bliss, a founder of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, bequeathed works from her important collection of modernism. Edward Root, a major collector of American modernism, shared an abiding belief in the educational role of the museum. Frank Stella, artist/alumnus who as co-chair of the 1990s Art Drive donated key works by foremost mid-century American masters.

This exhibition is generously supported by the Sidney R. Knafel Fund.