“We’ve Got to Stop That”
The decision to start collecting is spurred by inter-city rivalry.
The one thing that really changed our philosophy—originally the museum was just going to be a kunsthalle, and we were just going to have exhibitions, and no permanent collection. But all of a sudden, a couple of the major collectors in Chicago gave their art to New York and Washington. And somebody said, "Well, we've got to stop that."
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Establishing the Collection
The MCA's early acquisitions relied on grants and the generosity of Chicago collectors, whose interests helped shape the collection.
One of My Biggest Supporters
Lew Manilow, a founding board member of the MCA, was one of Kerry's biggest supporters since the 1990s.
Using the Collection Creatively
The focus of the museum has always been on exhibitions over collecting, but curators at the MCA have a clever way of integrating the collection into exhibitions as historical context.
Chicago Art Goes International
A trip to Documenta in 1982 shows Chicago collectors and museum-goers a bit more of the international art world.