Duncan Phillips

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Phillips, Duncan (1886–1966). American collector and writer on art. His family had made a fortune in steel and glass and he devoted much of his substantial inheritance to collecting, following his own judgement and buying mainly the work of late 19th- and 20th-century artists. After his father and brother died in quick succession in 1918, Phillips conceived the idea of making his collection a memorial to them, and in 1921 he opened his Washington home to the public three afternoons a week. The collection was subtitled ‘A Museum of Modern Art and its Sources’ (it includes a few examples of the work of earlier artists, among them El Greco and Goya) and it represented the first permanent museum of modern art in the USA (the Société Anonyme was founded a year earlier, but initially concentrated on temporary exhibitions). It proved so popular that Phillips moved with his family to another home in 1930 and made the house over completely as a gallery. Although there have been substantial extensions since then, the Phillips Collection retains its intimate, domestic air, and is widely regarded as one of the world's finest small museums. In his book A Collection in the Making (1926), Phillips wrote of his wish to create ‘such an intimate, attractive atmosphere as we associate with a beautiful home. To a place like that I believe people would be inclined to return once they have found it and to linger as long as they can for art's special study and its special sort of pleasure.’ Phillips's other writings include a collection of essays entitled The Enchantment of Art (1914) and in 1929 he edited and published a few issues of a short-lived periodical called Art and Understanding. His wife Marjorie (née Acker), whom he married in 1921, was a painter and took an active role in building and administering the collection. She became director after her husband's death and in 1970 published Duncan Phillips and his Collection. On her retirement in 1972, her son Loughlin became director of the Phillips Collection, which continues to acquire new works.

Phillips, Duncan (b Pittsburgh, 26 June 1886; d Washington, DC, 9 May 1966). American collector and writer on art. His family had made a fortune in steel and glass and he devoted much of his substantial inheritance to collecting. Mainly he bought the work of late 19th- and 20th-century artists, and when he opened his Washington home to the public (three afternoons a week) in 1921 it represented the first permanent museum of modern art in the USA (the Société Anonyme was founded a year earlier but initially concentrated on temporary exhibitions). It proved so popular that Phillips made the house over completely as a gallery and moved to another home. The Phillips Collection retains its intimate, domestic air, and is widely regarded as one of the world's finest small museums. Its star exhibit is Renoir's celebrated Luncheon of the Boating Party (1880–1). As a writer on art Phillips is best known for his book The Leadership of Giorgione (1937). He also edited a short-lived periodical, Art and Understanding (1929).

Phillips, Duncan (1886–1966). American collector and writer on art. His family had made a fortune in steel and glass and he devoted much of his substantial inheritance to collecting. Mainly he bought the work of late 19th- and 20th-century artists, and when he opened his Washington home to the public (three afternoons a week) in 1921 it represented the first permanent museum of modern art in the USA. It proved so popular that Phillips made the house over completely as a gallery and moved to another home. The Phillips Collection retains its intimate, domestic air, and is widely regarded as one of the world's finest small museums. Its star exhibit is Renoir's celebrated Luncheon of the Boating Party (1880–1). As a writer on art Phillips is best known for his book The Leadership of Giorgione (1937). He also edited a short-lived periodical, Art and Understanding (1929).