Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library announced a $5 million endowment to fund the Charles F. Montgomery Director of Winterthur, in honor of the institution's first director (1954-61). This milestone support, the largest for a single purpose in Winterthur's history, brings the campaign for Winterthur to over 75 percent of its $50 million goal. This endowed position will be held by future directors of the museum.
Noted connoisseur, collector, antiques dealer, author, and teacher of American decorative arts, Charles Montgomery was instrumental in the establishment of the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, a groundbreaking initiative begun in 1952 by Winterthur Museum and the University of Delaware to provide a multidisciplinary approach to the study of American material culture. The two-year course of study places special emphasis on decorative arts and leads to a Master of Arts degree in American Material Culture from the University of Delaware.
Charles Montgomery (1910-78) began his museum career in 1949 at Winterthur working for Henry Francis du Pont and served as associate curator when du Pont opened Winterthur as a museum in 1951. Following Winterthur, Charles Montgomery served on the faculty at Yale. The History of Art department at Yale includes a decorative arts professorship named in his honor.
"We are pleased to both honor the distinguished contributions of Charles F. Montgomery and to provide a solid foundation for the future leadership of this institution," said David Roselle, director of Winterthur. "Income from the endowment will strengthen the museum in perpetuity. We are deeply grateful for the extraordinary support and honored by what it signifies about Winterthur's place among American museums."
Winterthur, known worldwide for its preeminent collection of American decorative arts, naturalistic gardens, and research library for the study of American art and material culture, offers a variety of tours, exhibitions, programs, and activities throughout the year.
To learn more, visit www.winterthur.org.