Gifts from the Collection of Edna S. Beron

A longtime resident of Margate, New Jersey, the late Edna Beron was a cherished member of this Museum's community. A remarkable art collector during the past three decades, she was equally devoted to the work of American craftspeople and to contemporary painting, sculpture, and photography. This installation includes the first painting that Mrs. Beron purchased -- Young Love by Philip Evergood -- as well as the last object she bought -- Love Boat, a soup tureen by the centenarian American ceramicist Beatrice Wood. The two works share a radiant spirit characteristic of the collector herself, and of the collection as a whole. Her preference was for work at once elegant and exuberant. Across the remarkably broad spectrum of Mrs. Beron's enthusiasms, certain affinities emerge. She was a particularly strong advocate of art by women, as exemplified by the buoyant sculpture by Nancy Graves. The two steel chairs by Scott Burton suggest Mrs. Beron's interest in art that linked ordinary living with objects of beauty, also reflected in the ceramics and baskets in her collection. The present installation pays tribute to her generosity, friendship, and passion for art.