It is with great sadness that members of the Leonard A. Lauder Research Center for Modern Art mourn the passing of its visionary founder, a generous philanthropist, patron of the arts, and humanist. At the same time, we celebrate his groundbreaking work in establishing the Research Center at The Met in 2013 to complement the extraordinary promised gift of his Cubist collection.
From the outset, Mr. Lauder imagined the Research Center as a hub for pre- and postdoctoral fellows and distinguished scholars, to support their research projects and foster community. He wanted to encourage collaborations between curatorial departments at the Museum, linking modernism to the past and future, and across cultures. He envisioned a series of focused “dossier” exhibitions to arise from original research on works in his Cubist collection. Mr. Lauder also saw the value of having an Advisory Committee to provide counsel to the person in charge of the Research Center, comprising senior curators at The Met as well as external academic and museum experts. The continuing vitality of the Leonard A. Lauder Research Center for Modern Art is founded on these early decisions.
Photo by Jackie Neale, 2014 © The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Mr. Lauder understood that his own philanthropy was just the start of what might be possible; indeed, a group of Met Trustees added significantly to the Research Center’s endowment to support its projects. Such was the extent of this collective generosity that the Research Center now supports, in addition to those first fellowships, a mid-career fellowship, a nonresidential doctoral-completion fellowship, a residency for curators and conservators, and grants for publications on modern art.
Engaged in the life of the Research Center to the end, attending as many events as he could, and repeatedly welcoming to his home the alumni of the program, Mr. Lauder was deeply invested in fostering future generations of scholars on modern art. The fellows, alumni, Advisory Committee, and Research Center staff will miss greatly his energy and wry humor, while we continue to work to fulfill his vision.