Category: Collector
Nationality: American
Last Year: 29

Glance over the list of donors to New York cultural organisations, major and minor, or follow the faces appearing in the society pages (at art events), and one name appears consistently. But Agnes Gund’s support, and her presence, reflect a commitment to the nation’s increasingly stressed institutions that goes beyond cheque writing and hobnobbing. She makes the connections that get things done, whether it’s the establishment of a programme to instruct museum directors in the increasingly critical business aspects of their jobs or the ongoing Studio in a School, founded by Gund in 1977, to bring artists into New York’s public schools. Her efforts to keep art in the public dialogue continue to set the standard for committed engagement.