Pearlman Foundation Modern Art Collection Finds New Homes in Three Museums

Tarascon Stagecoach (1888) by Vincent van Gogh is one of the masterpieces from the Pearlman Foundation Modern Art Collection going to a museum. Image: Henry and Rose Pearlman Foundation

A major donation of the Pearlman foundation modern art collection will enrich MoMA, LACMA, and the Brooklyn Museum with world-class modern art.

BY KAZEEM ADELEKE, ARTCENTRON

The Henry and Rose Pearlman Foundation has donated its entire 63-piece modern art collection to three major American museums. This unprecedented gift enriches the public domain. It ensures the enduring preservation and accessibility of dozens of masterpieces. The recipient institutions are the Brooklyn Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. This donation transfers works by celebrated 19th- and 20th-century artists. The Pearlman foundation modern art collection will now be available to a wider audience. The foundation’s decision sets a new precedent for philanthropic art stewardship.

Brooklyn Museum Receives a Landmark Gift

The Brooklyn Museum will receive 29 works from the Pearlman collection. This is its most significant acquisition of European art in nearly a century. This gift has deep ties to the museum’s history. The museum hosted parts of the collection in the 1950s and 1960s. Among the highlights is Amedeo Modigliani’s iconic 1916 portrait of Jean Cocteau. The portrait is a cornerstone of modernist portraiture. Director Anne Pasternak praised the donation. She noted its connection to Henry Pearlman’s local roots. The gift strengthens Brooklyn’s cultural legacy.

Still Life With Carafe, Bottle and Fruit, by Paul Cézanne is one of the masterpieces from the Pearlman Foundation Modern Art Collection going to a museum. — Paul Cézanne, Still Life With Carafe, Bottle and Fruit 1906. Watercolor and soft graphite on pale buff wove paper 48 x 62.5 cm. (18 7/8 x 24 5/8 in.) framed: 75.3 x 90 x 3.8 cm (29 5/8 x 35 7/16 x 1 1/2 in.). Henry and Rose Pearlman Foundation / Bruce White

LACMA’s Holdings Grow with Major European Modernists

LACMA will receive six powerful works from the Pearlman foundation modern art collection. This gift includes the museum’s first pieces by Édouard Manet and Vincent van Gogh. These works introduce foundational modernist voices to LACMA’s permanent holdings. Daniel Edelman, the foundation’s president and Pearlman’s grandson, explained the selection process. LACMA was chosen for its innovative approach to public engagement. The museum focuses on making art accessible to diverse communities. The addition of these key works enhances LACMA’s curatorial vision.

MoMA Acquires Cornerstone Cézanne Watercolors

MoMA will receive 28 pieces, many of which are Paul Cézanne watercolors. These watercolors are considered the heart of the Pearlman modern art collection. MoMA is an ideal home for these works. The museum has one of the world’s premier departments of drawings and prints. Fifteen Cézanne watercolors will now reside at MoMA. These pieces are essential for understanding the artist’s creative process. They are crucial to studying Cézanne’s artistic journey. This acquisition significantly bolsters MoMA’s renowned collection of modernist works. The Pearlman modern art collection finds a fitting home here.

A Traveling Exhibition to Unify the Collection Temporarily

Before the works are permanently divided, they will be part of a traveling exhibition. The exhibition is titled “Village Square: Gifts of Modern Art from the Pearlman Collection to the Brooklyn Museum, LACMA, and MoMA.” This exhibition will debut at LACMA. It will be on view from February to July 2026. The exhibition will then travel to the Brooklyn Museum in the fall of 2026. MoMA’s showing will follow at a later date. This tour will reunite the entire Pearlman modern art collection. Edelman hopes the tour will inspire new conversations. The exhibition aims to highlight the roles of collectors and the importance of public art sharing.

The Pearlman Foundation’s Legacy

Henry Pearlman was a New York businessman and self-taught art enthusiast. He began collecting in 1945. His first acquisition was a Chaïm Soutine landscape. This purchase ignited a lifelong passion. Pearlman later recalled that the painting “lifted” his spirits. He and his wife, Rose, expanded their Pearlman modern art collection. They acquired works by artists like Renoir, Matisse, and Toulouse-Lautrec. By the 1950s, Pearlman’s focus shifted to Paul Cézanne. He deeply admired Cézanne’s watercolors. In 1955, the couple established the Henry and Rose Pearlman Foundation. Rose managed the collection for two decades after Henry’s death in 1974.

The foundation’s final donation marks a new chapter for these masterpieces. The 63 artworks are the last remaining pieces of the collection. The foundation had previously sold or donated other works. This final act ensures the public will enjoy the art for generations. The museums will preserve and recontextualize the works. Each institution received a curated selection. This art donation reflects its specific mission and public engagement strategy. The gift of this Pearlman modern art collection is a fitting culmination of Pearlman’s legacy.

Pearlman Foundation Modern Art Collection Donation

This donation establishes a new model in the art world. It challenges traditional notions of ownership. Edelman views it as a call to action. The donation encourages rethinking art access and stewardship. By sharing these pieces, the foundation hopes to inspire future acts of generosity. It promotes a model of shared cultural responsibility. The Pearlman legacy now lives on publicly. The Pearlman Foundation modern art collection will be accessible to all. It now hangs on the walls of America’s most revered art institutions. This gift sets a significant precedent for public art endowments.