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2019 Year in Review It’s been an exciting and challenging year — and there’s much more to come. Few other times in the history of the the museum, even briefly, during the Philadelphia Museum of Art have been process, but rather kept it open and in as challenging or as full of promise as operation. This has not been an easy the past year. As we write this, we are task, but it has been a rewarding one. entering final construction of the Core We have managed to keep our entire Project, the name we have given to the staff on board, which would not have second, and without doubt the most been possible had we gone dark. This, complicated, phase of our facilities mas- in turn, has allowed us to continue ter plan. Although much remains to be to offer a full schedule of exhibitions done before the project is completed and programs. The response from our next fall, we can discern the shape of audiences continues to be encourag- things to come and the many ways in ing: this past year we welcomed over which the changes now being made will 773,000 visitors, just 20,000 shy of our benefit our visitors. attendance in the year prior to the start of the Core Project. Over the past twelve months we have opened a new restaurant and café A good deal of credit for this success and, in the bargain, renovated an entire is due to our staff and the many section of the museum that was long creative ways in which they utilize past due for a makeover. Work also our most important resource: the proceeded on the transformation of museum’s exceptional collection. It two additional wings on the Lower Level served as the basis for several popular that will display American art, prints, exhibitions in the Dorrance Galleries, drawings, photographs, and modern including Fabulous Fashion: From Dior’s and contemporary art, providing New Look to Now, which attracted additional galleries for important areas more than 173,000 visitors, and The of our collection. Finally, we have nearly Impressionist’s Eye, seen by nearly completed the transformation of the 208,000 visitors. Fulfilling an important grand space that for many years served, goal of our 2013 strategic plan, we also incongruously, as our loading dock, but continued the renewal of spaces in now serves as an entrance, providing which we display our collection on an street-level access to the museum on ongoing basis. Evidence of this can be the side of the building that faces Kelly seen in our newly renovated galleries of Drive. And there’s more to come in the Chinese art—which opened in February year ahead. and have proven to be enormously popular with the public—and in the Looking back, it is helpful to remind work now being done on our galleries ourselves that we have not closed 2 3 Installation view of Souls Grown Deep: Artists of the African American South, June 8–September 2, 2019 Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s Portrait of Gustave Lucien Visitors in the newly reinstalled Dennery (1883) was among galleries of Chinese art works on view in The Photo by Elizabeth Leitzell Impressionist’s Eye, April 16–August 18, 2019 4 5 Study of the Dead Christ, Installation view of Marisa 1834, by Paul Delaroche Merz, August 16, 2019– (Purchased with the Alice summer 2020 Newton Osborn Trust Fund, 2019-83-1) Nude Series V, 1918, by Georgia O’Keeffe (Gift of C. K. Williams, II, 2019-47-5) Installation view of Patterning Community (2019) by Joy O. Ude, part of this year’s Art Splash program 6 7 of late nineteenth century European dead Christ (1834) by noted French This has meant designing ways to at- painting, sculpture, and decorative arts, painter Paul Delaroche, and a wonderful tract those who are our future—families In retrospect, we can say scheduled to be completed by the be- group of paintings and works on paper and young adults—to connect through ginning of the new year. Judging from by American modernists such as Arthur programs like Art Splash and special the responses we received, the care Dove, Marsden Hartley, and Georgia events like the Def Poetry Reunion, and that much was accom- we are giving to the presentation and O’Keeffe that have come to us from an evening with poet and musician Patti interpretation of our collection is one of trustee Charles Williams. Smith in conjunction with the citywide plished by a dedicated staff the most important keys to engaging celebration of the 200th anniversary of new audiences. Simply put, it is what Just as important has been our care of Walt Whitman’s birth. With collabora- people come to the museum to see, the collection. From packing and ship- tions like the new pilot program Sher- with the encouragement and it is our responsibility to make that ping to registration and art handling, lock, designed to help middle school experience as memorable as possible. this work takes place mostly behind the students develop critical thinking skills, of a committed Board of scenes and its value, therefore, is rarely we are also redefining how the museum Of the many memorable exhibitions of acknowledged. Equally significant, but can increase its value as a partner to the the past year, several stand out—most perhaps more visible, are the activities educational community. Trustees and the support of notably Long Light: Photographs by of our conservators, who are asked to David Lebe and Souls Grown Deep: contribute to a number of significant Artists of the African American South— projects. Among these last year were a donor community whose because they enabled us to share some the cleaning and repair of many of the recently acquired works of art with objects included in the reinstallation of generosity has been stead- our visitors and foster an appreciation our galleries of Chinese art, the resto- of the ongoing development of our ration of painting and furniture for our collection. In this regard, the past year new galleries of early American art, and fast and, in a word, remark- was exemplary. Among the highlights the conservation of one of our great that have come to the museum by masterpieces, Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s able. Best of all, we can also purchase or gift are two views of the Great Bathers (1884–87). new waterworks on the Schuylkill River just below Fairmount, the present site A sustained commitment to program- say that there is much more of the museum, painted in 1826 by the ming continues to be a hallmark of our celebrated American artist Thomas work and one of the principal reasons to come. Doughty, a splendid drawing of the we have not only enjoyed robust atten- dance, but also engaged our audience. Leslie A. Miller Timothy Rub Chair, Board of Trustees George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer Def Poetry Reunion 8 9 Cover: Artist Vanessa German in the Great Stair Hall, prior to her performance at the Def Poetry Reunion, April 2019 (Photograph by Elizabeth Leitzell) Trustees June 30, 2019 Board of Trustees David William Seltzer Donald W. McPhail Martha McGeary Snider Mary Patterson McPherson Elected Trustees Joan F. Thalheimer Harvey S. Shipley Miller Marta Adelson Bruce E. Toll Theodore T. Newbold* John R. Alchin Charles K. Williams, II John A. Nyheim Dennis Alter Constance H. Williams Lynda R. Resnick Barbara B. Aronson Jerry Wind Lisa S. Roberts Andrea M. Baldeck, M.D. Andrew M. Rouse Sheldon M. Bonovitz Trustees Ex-Officio Henry Wendt Ira Brind Hon. Thomas Wolf Dr. John T. Williams Julian A. Brodsky Governor, Commonwealth Gretchen Burke of Pennsylvania Honorary Trustees Ellen T. Caplan Hon. James F. Kenney Mayor, City of Philadelphia Lawrence H. Berger Emily Cavanagh Nancy M. Berman Dr. Constance E. Clayton Hon. Darrell L. Clarke President, City Council James D. Crawford Romulo L. Diaz, Jr. Timothy Rub James J. Kim H. Richard Dietrich III The George D. Widener Director and Marvin B. Levitties Orlando Esposito Chief Executive Officer Jacqueline Matisse Monnier Edward Fernberger, Jr. Gail Harrity Elizabeth R. Moran Jaimie Spector Field President and Chief Operating Officer Penelope P. Wilson Amy A. Fox Anne Hilton Annette Y. Friedland Chair, The Associates David Haas Advisory Committee Phoebe A. Haddon Julia Fleischner Anne F. Hamilton Chair, The Chairman’s Council Osagie O. Imasogie Advisory Committee Joan M. Johnson Mark B. Goodheart Tac Justi President, Samuel S. Fleisher Art George B. Kelly Memorial, Inc. Berton E. Korman John Soroko David D. Langfitt Chair, Corporate Executive Board Victoria McNeil Le Vine Laura C. Rothrock Maxine de S. Lewis Sally Sharkey President, The Women’s Committee Sueyun Locks of the Philadelphia Museum of Art Bonnie F. McCausland John J. Medveckis Leslie Anne Miller Trustees Emeriti Hilarie L. Morgan Peter A. Benoliel Martha Hamilton Morris Jack R Bershad Zoë S. Pappas Dr. Luther W. Brady, Jr.* Dr. Donald B. Parks Ruth M. Colket Raymond G. Perelman* Peter D. Davenport Ajay Raju Edith Robb Dixon Jennifer S. Rice John G. Drosdick Lyn M. Ross Penny Fox Marsha W. Rothman Hannah L. Henderson Pia RoyChowdhury Lynne Honickman Mark E. Rubenstein Ronald P. Lassin Angelica Zander Rudenstine H. F. (Gerry) Lenfest* Katherine Sachs Charles E. Mather III *deceased ˇex officio 1 Officers Leslie Anne Miller Chair, Board of Trustees and Chair of the Executive Committee H. F. (Gerry) Lenfest* Raymond G. Perelman* Constance H. Williams Chairs Emeriti Jaimie Spector Field Zoë S. Pappas Vice Chairs Timothy Rub The George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer Gail Harrity President and Chief Operating Officer Deborah Johnston Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey Blair Secretary *deceased 2 Committees of the Board of Trustees and Departmental Committees Fiscal Year 2019 Standing Committees Berton E.

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