Bliss, Lillie P.

Bliss, Lillie P. (1864–1931). American collector and patron, born into a wealthy Boston family. She was a friend of Arthur B. Davies, who stimulated her interest in modern art. At the Armory Show (1913), which was masterminded by Davies, she bought pictures by Degas, Redon, and Renoir, and later developed a taste for more avant-garde work. In 1929 she was one of the founders of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and when she died two years later she left the bulk of her collection to the Museum. Her bequest included eleven oils and eleven watercolours by Cézanne (her favourite artist) and works by Derain, Gauguin, Modigliani, Picasso, Rousseau, and other major figures. The gift formed the foundation of the permanent collection, and its importance was immediately recognized, as is clear from an editorial in The Arts in April 1931, a month after her death: ‘The bequest is a nucleus round which to build; a magnet for other collections; a continuing living reply to the doubters; a passing on of the torch; a goodly heritage. It begins the transition of the Museum from a temporary place of exhibitions to a permanent place of lasting activities and of acquisitions.’ The generous spirit of Miss Bliss's will meant that certain paintings she bequeathed could be sold or exchanged to enhance the Museum's collection, and several major works were obtained in this way, notably Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (which was acquired in 1938 and paid for partly by the sale of a Degas from the Bliss Bequest).