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Supporting the knowledge, appreciation, and enhancement of the visual arts Giovanni di Paolo, The Creation of the World and the Expulsion from Paradise, 1445. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robert Lehman Collection, 1975, 1975.1.31

Giovanni di Paolo, The Creation of the World and the Expulsion from Paradise, 1445. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robert Lehman Collection, 1975, 1975.1.31

Supporting the knowledge, appreciation, and enhancement of the visual arts Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Stanley Whitney, How High the Moon Installation

Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Stanley Whitney, How High the Moon Installation

Supporting the knowledge, appreciation, and enhancement of the visual arts Josephine-Eleonore-Marie-Pauline de Galard de Brassac de Bearn (1825-1860), Princesse de Broglie, 1851-53. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robert Lehman Collection, 1975, 1975.1.186

Josephine-Eleonore-Marie-Pauline de Galard de Brassac de Bearn (1825-1860), Princesse de Broglie, 1851-53. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robert Lehman Collection, 1975, 1975.1.186

Supporting the knowledge, appreciation, and enhancement of the visual arts The Museum of Modern Art, Georgia O’Keefe, To See Takes Time Installation, An Orchid, 1941

The Museum of Modern Art, Georgia O’Keefe, To See Takes Time Installation, An Orchid, 1941

Supporting the knowledge, appreciation, and enhancement of the visual arts Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn), The Last Supper, after Leonardo da Vinci, 1634-35. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robert Lehman Collection, 1975, 1975.1.794

Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn), The Last Supper, after Leonardo da Vinci, 1634-35. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robert Lehman Collection, 1975, 1975.1.794

Supporting the knowledge, appreciation, and enhancement of the visual arts Denver Art Museum, Jordan Casteel: Returning the Gaze Installation

Denver Art Museum, Jordan Casteel: Returning the Gaze Installation

Supporting the knowledge, appreciation, and enhancement of the visual arts American Folk Art Museum, William Matthew Prior, Portraits of Nancy & William Lawson, 1843

American Folk Art Museum, William Matthew Prior, Portraits of Nancy & William Lawson, 1843

Supporting the knowledge, appreciation, and enhancement of the visual arts Auguste Renoir, Figures on the Beach, 1890. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robert Lehman Collection, 1975, 1975.1.198

Auguste Renoir, Figures on the Beach, 1890. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robert Lehman Collection, 1975, 1975.1.198

The Foundation’s goal is to further Robert Lehman’s charitable vision, supporting the visual arts in ways to enhance the appreciation, knowledge, and enjoyment of this vital aspect of our culture

What We Support

View Grant Guidelines

Exhibitions

Blanton Museum of Art, Day Jobs Exhibition

In the past, the Foundation primarily supported visual arts exhibitions that in some way complemented the strengths of the Robert Lehman Collection in Early Renaissance through Impressionist Art. In recent years, the scope of support for exhibitions has been expanded to include projects whose intellectual content and scholarly contributions advance both classical and contemporary art.

Art Education

Hirshhorn Museum, ArtLab for Teens

The Foundation supports programs that share the goal of providing art education to underserved communities, especially those having insufficient access to arts learning. Support for these endeavors stems from the Foundation’s strong belief that access to the arts creates opportunities that improve the lives of underserved people and communities.

Art Lectureship

The Edwin L. Weisl, Jr. Lectureships in Art History, provides Colleges with the opportunity to enrich their art history curricula by inviting noted art historians and/or artists to lecture on a topic related to at least one course offered in that particular semester. The Program’s ultimate goal is to extend the exposure of students, faculty and the surrounding community to the ideas of noted professionals in the field of the visual arts to whom they would otherwise not be afforded access.

Capital Projects

The Studio Museum in Harlem

On occasion the Foundation provides funding for capital projects to museums and other cultural organizations. The Foundation supports impactful capital programs that meaningfully further the mission of an organization, expand cultural programming and increase access to new and diverse audiences.

History of the Foundation

At Robert Lehman’s death in 1969, his exemplary collection of western European art was left to the Robert Lehman Foundation with the express wish to transfer it to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The gift was made with the understanding that the collection would be shown in dedicated galleries designed to evoke the ambiance and wide-ranging richness of the collection. Robert Lehman had a longstanding affiliation with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, serving as a trustee and ultimately Chairman of the Board. On January 30, 1970, his collection of more than 2,600 works of art – paintings, drawings, manuscripts, majolica, frames, textiles, and European decorative arts, dating from the early Renaissance to the twentieth century was moved to The Metropolitan Museum of Art where it is housed today. The Robert Lehman Wing galleries celebrate an extraordinary legacy in cross-collection displays honoring Mr. Lehman’s wishes and reflecting the taste and connoisseurship of a great American family.

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