Mimi Gardner Gates
Encyclopedia
Mary 'Mimi' Gates (b. ca. 1943) is an American
art historian who is the recent Director of the Seattle Art Museum
. She married William H. Gates, Sr.
, father of Bill Gates
, in 1996.
Gates has a B.A. in art history from Stanford University
, a certificate with honors in Chinese language
and culture
from the École Nationale des Langues Orientales Vivantes in Paris
, a master's from the University of Iowa
, and a Ph.D.
in art history from Yale
. An old friend of Theresa Heinz Kerry, she is also a frequent juror for the Heinz Awards, appointed by the Heinz Family Philanthropies to award outstanding achievement in the area of Arts and Humanities.
She was curator of Asian art and then director of the Yale University Art Gallery
. At Yale, she contributed to the development of the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) guideline discouraging the sale of artwork in a Museum's collection, even to cover operating costs. In a brief, she detailed her view that museum collections are "a public trust". She has also lobbied the U.S. and Chinese
negotiators to ensure that implementation of UNESCO
rules about non-archaeological cultural exports do not tie the hands of American curators.
She came to Seattle in 1994 to head the museum, and in her tenure, has added over 2500 works to the collections. Among these are many Asian art treasures and works by Van Dyck, Albert Bierstadt
, Richard Serra
and Alexander Calder
. The museum has also established a sculpture park. The museum's endowment has tripled to over $75 million and the region's first conservation studio was opened. The museum was embarrassed when a Matisse painting in its possession was proven to have been looted by Nazis
and legitimately owned by a French Jewish family, and Gates brokered an 11th hour settlement that returned the artwork, after which the museum sued the gallery which had sold it the painting in the 1950s. Gates has co-authored Porcelain Stories: From China to Europe and Biblical Art and the Asian Imagination
In June 2007, Dr. Gates was elected by Yale alumni to serve a six year term commencing 1 July 2007 on the Yale Corporation
, Yale University
’s governing body.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
art historian who is the recent Director of the Seattle Art Museum
Seattle Art Museum
The Seattle Art Museum is an art museum located in Seattle, Washington, USA. It maintains three major facilities: its main museum in downtown Seattle; the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill, and the Olympic Sculpture Park on the central Seattle waterfront, which opened on...
. She married William H. Gates, Sr.
William H. Gates, Sr.
William Henry Gates, Sr. is a retired American attorney and philanthropist and author of the book Showing Up for Life: Thoughts on the Gifts of a Lifetime. He is the father of Microsoft founder Bill Gates.-Life and career:Gates was born in Bremerton, Washington, to William Henry Gates I or Sr...
, father of Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
, in 1996.
Gates has a B.A. in art history from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, a certificate with honors in Chinese language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
and culture
Culture of China
Chinese culture is one of the world's oldest and most complex. The area in which the culture is dominant covers a large geographical region in eastern Asia with customs and traditions varying greatly between towns, cities and provinces...
from the École Nationale des Langues Orientales Vivantes in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, a master's from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in art history from Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
. An old friend of Theresa Heinz Kerry, she is also a frequent juror for the Heinz Awards, appointed by the Heinz Family Philanthropies to award outstanding achievement in the area of Arts and Humanities.
She was curator of Asian art and then director of the Yale University Art Gallery
Yale University Art Gallery
The Yale University Art Gallery houses a significant and encyclopedic collection of art in several buildings on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Although it embraces all cultures and periods, the Gallery possesses especially renowned collections of early Italian painting,...
. At Yale, she contributed to the development of the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) guideline discouraging the sale of artwork in a Museum's collection, even to cover operating costs. In a brief, she detailed her view that museum collections are "a public trust". She has also lobbied the U.S. and Chinese
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
negotiators to ensure that implementation of UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
rules about non-archaeological cultural exports do not tie the hands of American curators.
She came to Seattle in 1994 to head the museum, and in her tenure, has added over 2500 works to the collections. Among these are many Asian art treasures and works by Van Dyck, Albert Bierstadt
Albert Bierstadt
Albert Bierstadt was a German-American painter best known for his lavish, sweeping landscapes of the American West. In obtaining the subject matter for these works, Bierstadt joined several journeys of the Westward Expansion...
, Richard Serra
Richard Serra
Richard Serra is an American minimalist sculptor and video artist known for working with large-scale assemblies of sheet metal. Serra was involved in the Process Art Movement.-Early life and education:...
and Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist most famous for inventing mobile sculptures. In addition to mobile and stable sculpture, Alexander Calder also created paintings, lithographs, toys, tapestry, jewelry and household objects.-Childhood:Alexander "Sandy" Calder was born in Lawnton,...
. The museum has also established a sculpture park. The museum's endowment has tripled to over $75 million and the region's first conservation studio was opened. The museum was embarrassed when a Matisse painting in its possession was proven to have been looted by Nazis
Nazi plunder
Nazi plunder refers to art theft and other items stolen as a result of the organized looting of European countries during the time of the Third Reich by agents acting on behalf of the ruling Nazi Party of Germany. Plundering occurred from 1933 until the end of World War II, particularly by military...
and legitimately owned by a French Jewish family, and Gates brokered an 11th hour settlement that returned the artwork, after which the museum sued the gallery which had sold it the painting in the 1950s. Gates has co-authored Porcelain Stories: From China to Europe and Biblical Art and the Asian Imagination
In June 2007, Dr. Gates was elected by Yale alumni to serve a six year term commencing 1 July 2007 on the Yale Corporation
Yale Corporation
The Yale Corporation, sometimes, and more formally, known as The President and Fellows of Yale College, is the governing body of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.The Corporation comprises 19 members:...
, Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
’s governing body.