The Brooklyn Museum got a whole lot of love this week! The New York landmark received a $5 million gift from the Leon Levy Foundation and its founding trustee Shelby White that will go to endow the museum’s directorship, held since 1997 by Arnold Lehman. This donation marks the largest the museum has ever received from a donor who was not a member of its board of trustees.
“I grew up in Brooklyn, and remember taking class trips to the museum to look at the Egyptian collection,” White said in a statement. “I didn’t realize, until much later, that it was one of the greatest museums in the world.”
Though visitors often overlook The Brooklyn Museum in favor of The Met and MoMA, The Brooklyn Museum remains one of the largest art museums in the United States, boasting comprehensive collections ranging from ancient Egyptian masterpieces to contemporary works.
“I am honored and delighted to be the first The Shelby White and Leon Levy Director of the Brooklyn Museum and am immensely grateful to Shelby White and the Leon Levy Foundation for this extraordinary leadership gift, which will have an enduring impact on the work of directors to come,” revealed Lehman commented. “This gift is a critical component in our efforts to strengthen our endowment and secure the future of the Brooklyn Museum.”
