The Alice F. and Harris K. Weston Collection of Post-World War II Modern and Contemporary Art

August 20, 2022–TBD

Gallery 105
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Alice F. Weston (1926–2019) was a renowned contemporary art collector, educator, and artist who committed her life to museums and cultural institutions across Cincinnati. In 1950, Alice and her husband, Harris K. Weston (1918–2009) viewed a group of Jackson Pollock paintings exhibited at Cincinnati’s Contemporary Arts Center. These paintings ignited a desire in the couple to obtain and own contemporary art—and showcase it within their home. Over the next several decades, the Westons collected dozens of Contemporary, Pop Art, Minimalist and Post-Minimalist pieces. Through a lifetime of focused collecting, the Weston’s collection came to encompass the works of many eminent artists, including Hofmann, de Kooning, Wesselmann, Dine, Saar, Dubuffet, Duchamp, LeWitt, and others. A major portion of the Weston’s modern and contemporary art collection was generously bequeathed to the Cincinnati Art Museum in 2019. The first piece the Weston’s purchased—Claes Oldenburg’s Box of Shirts—is part of this new installation at the Cincinnati Art Museum. The Alice F. and Harris K. Weston Collection of post-World War II modern and contemporary art will be on view beginning August 20 and will remain on view for 18 months. This contemporary collection complements the institution’s documentation of 20th-century art history.