Alumnus donates Picasso work to U.

Callimanopulos’ affiliation with the museum was recently renewed by his attendance of “’57 Collects: A 50th Anniversary Celebration,” a special exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of the Class of 1957. The event celebrated the art-collecting achievements of the class and encouraged further donations from alumni. Callimanopulos had lent another Picasso to the museum for the exhibition.

Several months after attending “’57 Collects,” Callimanopulos purchased “Tete d’homme et nu assis” at a New York auction with the intention of giving it to the museum.

While the art museum has a large annual endowment to use for acquiring works, pieces of Picasso’s caliber are beyond the reach of the museum’s funds, especially given the increasing market costs of artwork.

“We’re fortunate to have, unlike many larger municipal museums and the great majority of university museums, substantial endowment funds for acquisitions annually,” Assistant Curator of Later Western Art Karl Kusserow said. “Yet even with these, many of the most desirable works of art remain out of reach,” he added.

While municipal and civic museums usually have access to only one resource, typically an endowment, the University Art Museum acquires many of its works by prominent artists through donations from alumni. “We have a loyal alumni base ... a legendarily loyal one among universities,” Kusserow said.

Callimanopulos’ donation comes alongside three other major acquisitions by the museum, including pieces by John F.W. Herschel, Joseph-Marie Vein and Joseph Heintz.

The University Art Museum houses more than 68,000 works of art. Within its collection are pieces from Western Europe, China, the United States, Latin America and the Mediterranean region. The collection spans ancient to modern art, but Kusserow said the Picasso donation will fill a noticeable hole in the museum’s collection.

“For a museum of Princeton’s caliber not to have had a painting by an artist generally considered the most important of the 20th century represented a significant gap in its otherwise comprehensive collection,” Kusserow said.

High profile donations, like Callimanopulos’, also stimulate general interest in the museum on campus as well as within the wider community, Kusserow said.

“Gifts such as this can have a welcome ripple effect, allowing us to more effectively serve as a teaching resource for students,” he said.

President Tilghman expressed gratitude for the donation in a March 14 statement.

“The donation of a painting by an artist of Picasso’s stature is an extraordinary act of generosity by this distinguished alumnus and collector,” Tilghman said. “Our University community is grateful to Gregory Callimanopulos for enhancing our collections with this important gift, which is certain to command the attention of students, scholars, and visitors alike for years to come.”