Mary Quinn Sullivan
Encyclopedia
Mary Quinn Sullivan was born Mary Josephine Quinn in Indianapolis, Indiana
to Thomas F. Quinn and Anne E. Gleason Quinn; she was a pioneer modern art collector and one of the founding trustees of the Museum of Modern Art
.
, and in 1899 moved to New York
to study art at the Pratt Institute
. In 1901 she was hired as an art teacher in the Queens, NY school system. The NY Board of Education sent her abroad to observe the curriculum of art schools in England
, Scotland
, and Germany
. She traveled to France
and Italy
during this trip and there she was exposed to the modern art movements of the time (Impressionism
and Post-Impressionism
). Sullivan rented a room in the Brooklyn Heights home of Theodor Dreier during the early 20th c. and was a friend of Katherine Dreier - the two studied old masters in Europe together in 1902-1903 and Sullivan is listed as a member of the Société Anonyme (art)
in Dreier's archives.
In 1909 Sullivan became the head of the art department at the DeWitt Clinton High School
and supervised the drawing curriculum in New York City
elementary schools in addition to serving as secretary of the New York High School Teacher's Association. In 1910 she resigned her many posts to study at the Slade School of Fine Art
in London
, taking classes from critic/artist Roger Fry
. Upon her return she accepted a position at Pratt as an instructor of design and household arts and sciences, authoring a textbook entitled "Planning and Furnishing the Home: Practical and Economical Suggestions for the Homemaker".
She married Cornelius J. Sullivan in 1917; he was a prominent lawyer who specialized in managing large trusts and divorce proceedings for the wealthy, was a member of the New York Board of Education, and he was a friend of art and manuscript collector John Quinn (collector)
- both he and this titan of the art world shared an enthusiasm for collecting in addition to identifying as "Irish patriots." C. J. Sullivan was a collector of rare books and manuscripts, antiques and art. Mary and Cornelius established a home in the Hell's Gate area of Astoria, Queens
(the neighborhood is now occupied by the Con Ed plant in Queens) and entertained artists, writers, and politicians. Here they began a spectacular collection of European and American art and American and Irish antiques which included Modigliani
's Sculptured Head of a Woman (acquired from Leopold Zborowski
), Cézanne's Madame Cézanne, a Hepplewhite desk which once belonged to Degas, Rouault's Crucifixion, Mlle. Ravoux by Van Gogh, and The New Novel by Winslow Homer
, to name but a few. The two often spent summers in Ireland
, and maintained a second home on Block Island, RI.
After her marriage, Sullivan was a strong supporter of many philanthropic causes. She served as the president of the Needle and Bobbin Club in New York City, a ladies' group which sold lacework for charity (most notably works by women in poorhouses at Blackwell's Island) and she herself gave lectures about the history of lacework on behalf of the club and supported causes like the 'Handwork Centre' at 511 Madison Avenue that sold toys made by the elderly, infirm, and unemployed. Sullivan also organized a group of patrons of the Indianapolis Museum of Art
who called themselves the Gamboliers; these patrons donated modest sums toward the purchase of works chosen by Sullivan which were then given in the group's name. As late as 1921, Sullivan was noted to be the secretary and chairman of the New York Society of Occupation Therapy, which operated a summer program at Byrdcliffe Colony
in Woodstock, NY that taught the basics of art and applied arts instruction to hospital aides and nurses.
, and in 1929 a luncheon with collector A. Conger Goodyear developed definite plans for a new museum of modern art in New York City. Goodyear signed on as chairman and a space for the museum was rented at 730 Fifth Avenue. Sullivan resigned her trustee position on the museum's board on October 17, 1933 due to financial difficulties and was made an honorary trustee for life in 1935.
. Her gallery hosted exhibitions of Chaim Soutine
's work amongst others. She employed a young Betty Parsons
at this gallery, who acknowledged that Ms. Sullivan's business sense and taste made an enduring impression on her. Sullivan's husband died in 1932, and she sold a portion of his collection at Anderson Galleries in April 1937. In late 1939 Sullivan became ill and consigned further pieces from their collection for auction at Parke-Bernet (later Sotheby's
). She died in Astoria, Queens, New York of complications from pleurisy and diabetes on the night before the two-night sale (December 6 – 7 1939), which was by all accounts one of the benchmark art auctions of the first half of the 20th c. She is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Indianapolis IN.
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
to Thomas F. Quinn and Anne E. Gleason Quinn; she was a pioneer modern art collector and one of the founding trustees of the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
.
Education, teaching and marriage
Sullivan attended public schools in Indianapolis including the Shortridge High SchoolShortridge High School
Shortridge High School is a public high school located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Opened in 1864, it is the oldest free, public high school in the state...
, and in 1899 moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to study art at the Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
. In 1901 she was hired as an art teacher in the Queens, NY school system. The NY Board of Education sent her abroad to observe the curriculum of art schools in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. She traveled to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
during this trip and there she was exposed to the modern art movements of the time (Impressionism
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
and Post-Impressionism
Post-Impressionism
Post-Impressionism is the term coined by the British artist and art critic Roger Fry in 1910 to describe the development of French art since Manet. Fry used the term when he organized the 1910 exhibition Manet and Post-Impressionism...
). Sullivan rented a room in the Brooklyn Heights home of Theodor Dreier during the early 20th c. and was a friend of Katherine Dreier - the two studied old masters in Europe together in 1902-1903 and Sullivan is listed as a member of the Société Anonyme (art)
Société Anonyme (art)
Société Anonyme, Inc. was an art organization founded in 1920 by Katherine Dreier, Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp. The society sponsored lectures, concerts, publications, and exhibitions of modern art, including the International Exhibition of Modern Art at the Brooklyn Museum in 1926...
in Dreier's archives.
In 1909 Sullivan became the head of the art department at the DeWitt Clinton High School
DeWitt Clinton High School
DeWitt Clinton High School is an American high school located in the Bronx, New York City, New York.-History:Clinton opened in 1897 at 60 West 13th Street at the northern end of Greenwich Village under the name of Boys High School, although this Boys High School was not related to the one in Brooklyn...
and supervised the drawing curriculum in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
elementary schools in addition to serving as secretary of the New York High School Teacher's Association. In 1910 she resigned her many posts to study at the Slade School of Fine Art
Slade School of Fine Art
The Slade School of Fine Art is a world-renownedart school in London, United Kingdom, and a department of University College London...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, taking classes from critic/artist Roger Fry
Roger Fry
Roger Eliot Fry was an English artist and art critic, and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Establishing his reputation as a scholar of the Old Masters, he became an advocate of more recent developments in French painting, to which he gave the name Post-Impressionism...
. Upon her return she accepted a position at Pratt as an instructor of design and household arts and sciences, authoring a textbook entitled "Planning and Furnishing the Home: Practical and Economical Suggestions for the Homemaker".
She married Cornelius J. Sullivan in 1917; he was a prominent lawyer who specialized in managing large trusts and divorce proceedings for the wealthy, was a member of the New York Board of Education, and he was a friend of art and manuscript collector John Quinn (collector)
John Quinn (collector)
John Quinn was a second generation Irish-American corporate lawyer in New York, who for a time was an important patron of major figures of post-impressionism and literary modernism, and collector in particular of original manuscripts.- Life :...
- both he and this titan of the art world shared an enthusiasm for collecting in addition to identifying as "Irish patriots." C. J. Sullivan was a collector of rare books and manuscripts, antiques and art. Mary and Cornelius established a home in the Hell's Gate area of Astoria, Queens
Astoria, Queens
Astoria is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. Located in Community Board 1, Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Sunnyside , and Woodside...
(the neighborhood is now occupied by the Con Ed plant in Queens) and entertained artists, writers, and politicians. Here they began a spectacular collection of European and American art and American and Irish antiques which included Modigliani
Amedeo Modigliani
Amedeo Clemente Modigliani was an Italian painter and sculptor who worked mainly in France. Primarily a figurative artist, he became known for paintings and sculptures in a modern style characterized by mask-like faces and elongation of form...
's Sculptured Head of a Woman (acquired from Leopold Zborowski
Leopold Zborowski
Leopold Zborowski was a Polish poet, writer and art dealer.Zborowski and his wife Anna were contemporaries with Parisian artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Cézanne, André Derain and Amedeo Modigliani, who painted their portraits.Leopold Zborowski was Amedeo Modigliani's primary art...
), Cézanne's Madame Cézanne, a Hepplewhite desk which once belonged to Degas, Rouault's Crucifixion, Mlle. Ravoux by Van Gogh, and The New Novel by Winslow Homer
Winslow Homer
Winslow Homer was an American landscape painter and printmaker, best known for his marine subjects. He is considered one of the foremost painters in 19th century America and a preeminent figure in American art....
, to name but a few. The two often spent summers in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and maintained a second home on Block Island, RI.
After her marriage, Sullivan was a strong supporter of many philanthropic causes. She served as the president of the Needle and Bobbin Club in New York City, a ladies' group which sold lacework for charity (most notably works by women in poorhouses at Blackwell's Island) and she herself gave lectures about the history of lacework on behalf of the club and supported causes like the 'Handwork Centre' at 511 Madison Avenue that sold toys made by the elderly, infirm, and unemployed. Sullivan also organized a group of patrons of the Indianapolis Museum of Art
Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is an encyclopedic art museum located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum, which underwent a $74 million expansion in 2005, is located on a campus on the near northwest area outside downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery.The...
who called themselves the Gamboliers; these patrons donated modest sums toward the purchase of works chosen by Sullivan which were then given in the group's name. As late as 1921, Sullivan was noted to be the secretary and chairman of the New York Society of Occupation Therapy, which operated a summer program at Byrdcliffe Colony
Byrdcliffe Colony
The Byrdcliffe Colony, also called the Byrdliffe Arts Colony or Byrdcliffe Historic District, was founded in 1902 near Woodstock, New York by Jane and Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead and colleagues, Bolton Brown and Hervey White...
in Woodstock, NY that taught the basics of art and applied arts instruction to hospital aides and nurses.
The Museum of Modern Art
During the 1920s Sullivan established friendships with art patrons Lillie Plummer Bliss and Abby Aldrich RockefellerAbby Aldrich Rockefeller
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, , was a prominent socialite and philanthropist and the second-generation matriarch of the renowned Rockefeller family...
, and in 1929 a luncheon with collector A. Conger Goodyear developed definite plans for a new museum of modern art in New York City. Goodyear signed on as chairman and a space for the museum was rented at 730 Fifth Avenue. Sullivan resigned her trustee position on the museum's board on October 17, 1933 due to financial difficulties and was made an honorary trustee for life in 1935.
A collection dispersed
In 1932, Sullivan opened an art gallery on E. 56th St. in New York City which moved to a space in Lois Shaw's gallery on Park AvenuePark Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
. Her gallery hosted exhibitions of Chaim Soutine
Chaim Soutine
Chaïm Soutine was a Jewish painter from Belarus. Soutine made a major contribution to the expressionist movement while living in Paris....
's work amongst others. She employed a young Betty Parsons
Betty Parsons
Betty Parsons, born Betty Bierne Pierson, was an American artist and art dealer known for her early promotion of Abstract Expressionism. She was known as "the den mother of Abstract Expressionism"...
at this gallery, who acknowledged that Ms. Sullivan's business sense and taste made an enduring impression on her. Sullivan's husband died in 1932, and she sold a portion of his collection at Anderson Galleries in April 1937. In late 1939 Sullivan became ill and consigned further pieces from their collection for auction at Parke-Bernet (later Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
). She died in Astoria, Queens, New York of complications from pleurisy and diabetes on the night before the two-night sale (December 6 – 7 1939), which was by all accounts one of the benchmark art auctions of the first half of the 20th c. She is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Indianapolis IN.