John P. Axelrod, Boston Art Collector killed by a hit-and-run driver. Dina Rudick/Facebook

John P. Axelrod’s death: Boston art collector killed in alleged intentional hit-and-run on Commonwealth Avenue Mall, shocking the museum community.

BY SEAN LEWYES

Investigation Underway After John P. Axelrod’s Death in Boston

BOSTON — The death of John P. Axelrod, a nationally recognized art collector and major museum donor, is under investigation after prosecutors said a driver intentionally struck him on a pedestrian mall in Boston’s Back Bay.

Axelrod, 79, died Saturday after a hit-and-run on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, where he was walking his dog, police said. Authorities charged William Haney, 42, with murder and animal cruelty. Axelrod’s dog was also killed.

Suspect Charged with Murder and Animal Cruelty

Prosecutors allege Haney drove onto the pedestrian-only mall around 8 a.m., hit Axelrod, and fled the scene. Emergency crews rushed Axelrod to a hospital, where he later died. Police later found the suspect vehicle in Brookline. Haney turned himself in after officials announced the charges.

The case has drawn immediate attention because investigators allege the crash was intentional. The incident has also renewed scrutiny of pedestrian safety and vehicle access in public spaces across Boston.

Legacy of John P. Axelrod: Transforming MFA Boston

Axelrod was a retired attorney and one of the most influential private collectors of American art in recent decades. He appeared on the ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list in the late 1990s and was widely respected for shaping museum collections through long-term patronage.

MFA Boston Honors Axelrod’s Contributions to African American Art

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, described Axelrod as a transformative supporter. Beginning in the 1980s, he donated more than 700 works to the museum, including significant holdings by African American artists and decorative arts from Europe and the United States. The MFA named a gallery in his honor in 2009. The Boston Globe reports how the museum is

In 2011, the museum acquired dozens of works from Axelrod’s collection by Black artists in a deal valued between $5 million and $10 million. Several of those works later appeared in major national exhibitions, including recent shows examining the Harlem Renaissance and modernism.

From Teen Collector to East Village Street Art Patron

Axelrod began collecting art as a teenager, purchasing a painting directly from an artist on a Massachusetts wharf. His interest deepened while he attended Harvard Law School, where he began collecting seriously and studying art history.

At the height of his collecting, Axelrod owned major works by Paul Cadmus, George Tooker, Norman Lewis, and other key figures in 20th-century American art. His interests later shifted to New York’s East Village art scene of the early 1980s, including early graffiti and street art. In 2022, a selection of those works sold at auction.

Beyond Boston, Axelrod supported the Yale University Art Gallery and the Addison Gallery of American Art, donating hundreds of prints, photographs, and decorative objects. Several of his gifts reached museums as recently as 2024 and 2025.

City Officials Face Scrutiny Over Pedestrian Safety After Tragedy

John P. Axelrod’s death has intensified public focus on the alleged use of a vehicle as a weapon in a pedestrian zone. Prosecutors have not disclosed a motive. Haney remains charged as the case proceeds.

Axelrod leaves behind a legacy that reshaped American museum collections—and a criminal case that has shaken Boston’s cultural and civic communities.