The Heckscher Museum of Art is named after its benefactors, Anna and August Heckscher, who in 1920 donated 185 works of art to be housed in a new Beaux-Arts building located in Heckscher Park, in Huntington, New York. The museum has over 2300 works of art, focused on American and Long Island artists, as well as featuring American and European modernism, and photography. The most famous painting in the collection is George Grosz's "Eclipse of the Sun" (1926).[1] Four to five changing exhibitions are featured each year.
History
Founded by Anna and August Heckscher in 1920, the museum was based on his initial donation of 185 works of art. The building was designed by Julius Franke of the New York architecture firm of Maynicke & Franke.[2]
In 1957 the Town of Huntington passed responsibility for running the museum to an independent board of trustees, after which the museum began once again to expand its collection. The collection was greatly enlarged in 2001 with the donation of a large collection of American paintings and drawings by Ronald G. Pisano and D. Frederick Baker, one of the largest gifts to the museum since August Heckscher's original donation.[3]
Collection
Detail of rear facade
The collection has grown from its original 185 works to over 2300, and spans over 500 years. The oldest major work is Lucas Cranach the Elder's Virgin, Child, St. John the Baptist and Angels of 1534.
The museum has works by 17th, 18th and 19th century European painters, but is strongest in 19th, 20th and 21st century American artists. The entire collection can be viewed online.
