Lee Bontecou

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Description

Lee Bontecou
Untitled
soot and pencil on muslin
34 by 37 in. 86.4 by 94 cm.
Executed in 1963.

Provenance

Leo Castelli Gallery, New York
Acquired by the present Estate from the above

Exhibited

New York, American Federation of Arts, American Master Drawings and Watercolors, September 1976 - April 1977, cat. no. 76-1

Catalogue Note

The works presented from the Estate of Wilder Green reflect the discerning eye of a distinguished and dedicated member of the arts community he served long and very well.

After earning an architecture degree from Yale, where he studied under Louis Kahn, Wilder Green worked in the offices of Philip Johnson and Paul Rudolph. In 1957, he joined the staff of The Museum of Modern Art in New York as Assistant Director of the Department of Architecture and Design. His notable skill in adapting gallery spaces to his department’s exhibitions was soon recognized by other departments as well. He collaborated with Museum curators on the design and installation of painting and sculpture and drawings exhibitions, including memorable presentations of works by Bonnard, Turner, Giacometti, Tinguely, Motherwell, Nakian, Rothko, and de Kooning.

His evident taste, intelligence, and diplomacy led to his appointment as Coordinator of Planning for the ambitious Museum building expansion begun in 1961 and completed in 1964. He went on to assume the titles and responsibilities of Coordinator of the museum’s Program and Director of the Exhibition Program.

Attracted by new challenges and opportunities for service, Wilder Green left the Museum in 1971 to become director of the American Federation of Arts. Founded in 1909, the A.F.A. serves and collaborates with a large network of Museums here and abroad, organizing traveling exhibitions and related arts programs. Wilder Green was its very effective Director and advocate for sixteen years.

After his retirement in 1987, he continued to serve the arts through active involvement with varied organizations such as The MacDowell Colony and the Judith Rothschild Foundation, of which he was Chairman and Head of its grant program

To these activities, as to those in his past, he brought the dedication, aesthetic sensibility, and good judgment which made his lifelong commitment to the arts so productive. He also brought the personal qualities – generosity, modesty, and humor among them – which are very fondly remembered by his friends and colleagues.

-- Richard Oldenburg, Director Emeritus, Museum of Modern Art, New York