DMA Debuts Eugene and Margaret McDermott Collection
More than 30 exquisite pieces of art that once decorated the home of Eugene and Margaret McDermott are now on display at the Dallas Museum of Art.
The collection, titled An Enduring Legacy, includes 32 nineteenth and early twentieth-century artwork, including masterworks by Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Georgie O’-Keeffe, and Pablo Picasso.
Museum curators say the significant gift by the late Margaret McDermott dramatically strengthen the international caliber of the museum’s leading impressionist and modern art collections.
Drawing from the McDermott home, the museum put a lot of thought into personalizing the exhibit by using colors such as Monet blue – Margaret’s favorite color – to best showcase the artwork the couple collected over nearly four decades.
The collection includes both early works from Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet.
The entire collection was bequeathed to the museum upon Margaret McDermott’s death, which occurred May 3 at the age of 106.
Museum officials say it was McDermott’s wish that the art was exhibited quickly for the public.
“Margaret and Eugene McDermott’s commitment to our institution was unwavering and their generosity unparalleled,” said Augustin Artega, the Eugene McDermott director of the DMA. “Though the enormity of their contributions and impact cannot possibly be encapsulated in a single exhibition, An Enduring Legacy is a testament to their abiding devotion to the DMA and their passion for the arts and connoisseurship that has been key to shaping the museum’s collections for over half a century.”
An Enduring Legacy will be on view through Feb. 17, 2019, and is included in free general admission.
