Donating Works of Art

Donating Works of Art

Phillips staff and curators will be happy to discuss with you the process of making a gift of art to the museum. Works enter the collection at the Phillips after careful review by a committee of the museum's curators and board members. All accepted new works reflect the aesthetic values at the core of The Phillips Collection.

As the Phillips continues to add works selectively to the collection, it follows the principles that have remained at the heart of the museum's acquisition efforts since its opening in 1921. The museum seeks works that show what Duncan Phillips called "authentic evidence of sincerity, authority, and style." It continues to collect and exhibit works in groups that allow the viewer to discern artistic trends and inspirations. It also continues to focus on the present, while still incorporating works from the past, by recognizing artists during their lifetimes.

To learn more about donating works of art, contact Eliza Rathbone, Chief Curator.

Alexander Calder, Hollow Egg, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. Partial and promised gift in memory of Betty Milton a close friend of Louisa Calder, 2001, 1939. ©2008 Estate of Alexander Calder, Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

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