The Memorial Art Gallery is pleased to announce the exhibition 1940/2020 in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Gallery Council of the Memorial Art Gallery. The exhibition will be on view from July 31—October 11, 2020.

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 with the purchase of a group of Japanese katagami, or fabric stencils, the Council has also raised funds to enrich MAG’s permanent collection through dozens of 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 25 of these works acquired over the course of the past 60 years.

About The Gallery Council

The Gallery Council is a volunteer organization that serves the Memorial Art Gallery by organizing special events to raise funds in support of the visual arts. It is the largest single annual donor to MAG. Since it was founded in 1940, the Gallery Council has contributed over $3 million to the MAG. The money the
Gallery Council raises supports art acquisitions and conservation, scholarships for children to attend the Creative Workshop, and underwriting MAG exhibitions and special publications. Most recently, the Gallery Council is also the series sponsor for our Family and Community Celebration Days.