(New York, October 9, 2001)—Erving Wolf, a longtime supporter of The American Wing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, has been elected an Honorary Trustee, it was announced last night by the Museum's Chairman, James R. Houghton. Mr. Wolf's election took place at today's meeting of the Board.
"Erving Wolf and his wife Joyce have been stalwart friends of American art for three decades, making important contributions to the Departments of American Paintings and Sculpture and American Decorative Arts," commented Chairman Houghton. "The special exhibition gallery that bears their names is a testimonial to the generosity of their support. I look forward with great pleasure to working with Erving in the future."
Mr. Wolf received his undergraduate education at Northwestern University and The University of Notre Dame, and holds a law degree from Northwestern University. He is Chairman of Andex Resources, L.L.C., an oil and gas exploration company in Houston, Texas.
Of the major gifts made to the Museum by Mr. and Mrs. Wolf, two are particularly significant—a large silver presentation vase made in Philadelphia by Fletcher and Gardiner that was given in 1825 to Governor DeWitt Clinton to commemorate the opening of the Erie Canal, and Martin Johnson Heade's 1859 painting The Coming Storm, a masterpiece of the American Luminist school.
The Erving and Joyce Wolf Gallery—for the display of special exhibitions of American art—is located on the first floor of The American Wing. It was dedicated in 1980, concurrently with the opening of the new American Wing.
Mr. and Mrs. Wolf are members of the Museum's William Cullen Bryant Fellows, a group that supports publications about American art. Also at the Metropolitan, Mrs. Wolf currently chairs the American Decorative Arts Visiting Committee and is a member of the American Paintings and Sculpture Visiting Committee.
###