The Mint Museum Annual Report 2008 / 2009

LAURA COOMBS HILLS.
American, 1859-1952
Peonies and Velvet
circa 1920-30
pastel on paper
Museum Purchase: Mint
Museum Auxiliary Fund. 2009.2
AUGUSTA SAVAGE.
American, 1892-1962
Gamin circa 1930
cast and painted plaster
Museum Purchase:
Mint Museum Auxiliary Fund.
2008.58
Man’s Camisa and Faja
(Sleeved Shirt, Sash Belt)
20th century
Mam. San Juan Atitlán,
Department of Huehuetenango
cotton
Gift of Gretchen and Nelson
Grice. 2001.93.32.1-2
The Mint Museum acquired 560 noteworthy works of art in fiscal year 2009. These
acquisitions underscored the collections’ significance as not only repositories
of artistic wealth, but also as areas of educational importance. As the Mint’s
new facility nears completion, a collections campaign has proven successful in
garnering a number of important works in all collection areas. All six areas that form
the Museum’s artistic focus gained acquisitions: American Art, Art of the Ancient
Americas, Ceramics, Contemporary Art, Contemporary Craft, and Historic Costume
and Fashionable Dress.
Mint MuseuM oF art
Over the last seven decades, the Mint Museum of Art has benefited from the generosity of
artists, collectors, affiliate groups and others. The following selection is just a sampling of the
550 artworks accessioned last year.
The American Art Collection received a generous gift from Dr. and Mrs. Henry C. Landon III:
a beautiful portrait by the American master John Singleton Copley (1738-1815). First exhibited
in 1804 at the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts in London, Saint Cecilia, a Portrait (Mrs.
Richard Crowninshield Derby) (1803) portrays Mrs. Derby, considered one of the beauties
of the era, as the patron saint of music. Additional acquisitions of American art were made
possible through the generosity of The Mint Museum Auxiliary, which provided funds to
acquire Gamin (ca. 1930), an original sculpture by noted artist Augusta Savage (1892-1962);
Peonies and Velvet (1930-1931), a colorful pastel by Laura Coombs Hills (1859-1952); and
Bouquet of Flowers (1914), an oil on canvas by Blanche Lazzell (1878-1956).
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