Prominent artist leaves work to Allentown

    The art museum in Allentown, Pennsylvania has received a collection of art so large, it could change the entire profile of the institution. Several hundred drawings, paintings, and sculptures were donated to the mid-sized, regional museum by a prominent artist.

    The art museum in Allentown, Pennsylvania has received a collection of art so large, it could change the entire profile of the institution. Several hundred drawings, paintings, and sculptures were donated to the mid-sized, regional museum by a prominent artist.

    Listen:
    [audio: 090909pcartgift.mp3]

    Peter Grippe may not be a top-tier name in the art world, but he is closely associated with the New York School of modernists like Jackson Pollock and Willem DeKooning. He died in 2002, and it is not known if he had ever set foot in Allentown. But he was a good friend of Greg Perry, who until last week was the director of the Allentown Art Museum. Perry brokered the donation with Grippe’s widow.

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    The new interim director is Robert Metzger, who says this gift will open new opportunities.

    Metzger: This will spur more collectors to contribute. Gifts spur more gifts, and we’re hoping to be a major center of sculpture and mid-twentieth century art because of this. It really is a sea change for the museum.

    The donation is mostly Grippe’s own Cubist-inspired sculptures and drawings.

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