The estate of Luther W. Brady, a late oncologist who received three degrees from the University, bestowed a multi-million dollar art collection to GW late last month.
The collection — which officials will display from September 2023 to March 2024 at Brady’s namesake gallery, located in the Flagg Building — includes more than 130 pieces of art from artistic movements ranging from expressionism to contemporary which the University valued at over $3 million, according to GW’s release late last month. Brady’s estate also bequeathed more than 120 pieces with an equivalent value to the Reading Public Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania, which will launch an exhibit featuring the donated works this summer, according to the release.
The Brady Art Gallery and the Reading Public Museum are collaborating on writing a joint catalog — a book detailing the specifics of a curated exhibit — including research and writing by GW students who completed a graduate seminar this spring where they learned about mid-20th century art and museum curation, the release states.
Olivia Kohler-Maga, the assistant director of the Brady Art Gallery, said the collection will showcase Brady’s “continuing impact” on the University. The release states that Brady previously served on the Board of Trustees for more than two decades until his death in 2018 and sat on the Board of Directors of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum. He also funded a named professorship in radiation oncology at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
“Our students are already working with this noteworthy collection to gain important real-world experience researching and writing for a catalog and exhibition,” Kohler-Maga said in the release. “They are the first of future generations of GW students that will benefit from Dr. Brady’s generosity.”
The exhibit will include paintings and sculptures by “internationally renowned” artists like Richard Diebenkorn, Henry Moore, Sean Scully and Frank Stella, according to the release. The release states that specific works displayed will include Edna Andrade’s Temple Plan (1986), Barbara Hepworth’s Autumn Day (1968) and Jules Olitski’s Pleasures 3 (2001).
John Wetenhall, an associate professor of museum studies and the director of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, said he and other GW community members are “truly appreciative” of Brady’s generosity.
“He truly understood the inspirational powers of modern art and championed creativity for future generations,” Wetenhall said in the release.
