Vincent Melzac
Encyclopedia
Vincent Melzac was an American business executive and art collector, best known as one of the earliest and most daring collectors of paintings of the Washington Color School
. Melzac, often described as a larger than life figure, was briefly chief executive officer of the Corcoran Gallery of Art
. His legacy, the Vincent Melzac Collection has been broken up, but significant parts remain at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art
.
By training an educator, Melzac was short of stature, but not boldness, a characteristic reflected both in his business affairs and his art collection. His fortune came from a chain of beauty salons, and he owned a catfish farm in West Virginia. He had a reputation for demanding a hard bargain from painters who needed his money, and it was rumored that his businesses were under investigation for false advertising.
As CEO of the Corcoran (serving concurrently with director Gene Baro in an awkward administrative structure), Melzac was a blunt and tough-minded cost-cutter. On November 3, 1972, at a black tie reception celebrating the opening of a major Sam Francis
exhibition,
Melzac and Baro came to blows. As recalled by Roy Slade (who succeeded Baro as Corcoran director),
Unfortunately for Melzac, a photograph of Baro's blood-streaming face was published in the New York Times and in Newsweek. Slade recounted, "The photograph of the bloody director was stark evidence that not all was well at the Corcoran." Both Melzac and Baro were dismissed by the Corcoran's board on November 30, 1972.
Melzac later became known as a breeder of Arabian race horses. His art collection was
for a time loaned to the Central Intelligence Agency
, and he received the CIA's Agency Seal Medallion from Director William Casey
in 1982. He died October 11, 1989, in Washington, D.C.
Washington Color School
A visual-art movement of the late 1950s through the mid-1960s, the Washington Color School was originally a group of painters who showed works in the "Washington Color Painters" exhibit at the Washington Gallery of Modern Art in Washington, DC from June 25-September 5, 1965. The exhibition...
. Melzac, often described as a larger than life figure, was briefly chief executive officer of the Corcoran Gallery of Art
Corcoran Gallery of Art
The Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...
. His legacy, the Vincent Melzac Collection has been broken up, but significant parts remain at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art
Fort Wayne Museum of Art
The Fort Wayne Museum of Art is a Contemporary art museum located in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana, Allen County, United States, neighboring the Arts United Center...
.
By training an educator, Melzac was short of stature, but not boldness, a characteristic reflected both in his business affairs and his art collection. His fortune came from a chain of beauty salons, and he owned a catfish farm in West Virginia. He had a reputation for demanding a hard bargain from painters who needed his money, and it was rumored that his businesses were under investigation for false advertising.
As CEO of the Corcoran (serving concurrently with director Gene Baro in an awkward administrative structure), Melzac was a blunt and tough-minded cost-cutter. On November 3, 1972, at a black tie reception celebrating the opening of a major Sam Francis
Sam Francis
Samuel Lewis Francis was an American painter and printmaker.-Early life:...
exhibition,
Melzac and Baro came to blows. As recalled by Roy Slade (who succeeded Baro as Corcoran director),
Unfortunately for Melzac, a photograph of Baro's blood-streaming face was published in the New York Times and in Newsweek. Slade recounted, "The photograph of the bloody director was stark evidence that not all was well at the Corcoran." Both Melzac and Baro were dismissed by the Corcoran's board on November 30, 1972.
Melzac later became known as a breeder of Arabian race horses. His art collection was
for a time loaned to the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
, and he received the CIA's Agency Seal Medallion from Director William Casey
William J. Casey
William Joseph Casey was the Director of Central Intelligence from 1981 to 1987. In this capacity he oversaw the entire United States Intelligence Community and personally directed the Central Intelligence Agency ....
in 1982. He died October 11, 1989, in Washington, D.C.