The vision of one … the dedication of many.

The exhibition 1940/2020 celebrates the 80th anniversary of the Gallery Council of the Memorial Art Gallery. From its origins in 1940 as the Women’s Council, the organization has served as the primary auxiliary arm of MAG by raising funds for exhibitions and collections and providing volunteers for outreach programs. Beginning in 1956, the Council also raised funds to enrich MAG collections through dozens of new acquisitions. These include works as varied as Rachel Ruysch’s Floral Still Life, Hyacinthe Rigaud’s 1731 portrait of the Archbishop of Paris, tapestries by Fernand Léger, and Alexander Calder, and Mortal, a portfolio of woodcuts by the major contemporary artist Kiki Smith. This exhibition, held in the Lockhart Gallery, showcases about 30 of these works acquired over the course of the past 60 years.

Rachel Ruysch, Floral Still Life, detail, 1686