The Friedsam Bequest and the Consequences of Collecting "Mania"

The American collector and business magnate Colonel Michael H. Friedsam (1864-1931) described collecting as both “a mania” and “a disease.” His passion for art resulted in an enormous assemblage of works that ranged greatly in terms of chronology, geography, and media and included paintings, sculpture, furniture, tapestries, and a vast array of other decorative art. Friedsam’s collection, of admittedly disparate quality, has been historically overshadowed by that of his cousin Benjamin Altman (1840-1913), one of America’s greatest collectors; thus it has been largely overlooked by scholars. A native New Yorker and prominent philanthropist, Friedsam decreed in his will that his collection should reside—intact—at the Metropolitan of Art or another New York institution. While seemingly magnanimous in its intention, Friedsam’s stipulations proved quite problematic for the two institutions to which his collection was ultimately bequeathed. After much debate between the Friedsam Trustees and staff members at the Metropolitan, that institution was permitted first choice of objects from Friedsam’s holdings. The majority of works declined by the Met were later given to the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This talk will use the Friedsam Bequest as a case study to explore the thorny issues arising from a private collection’s dispersal to public institutions, especially in regard to evolving institutional acquisition policies. Related questions of curator selection, object quality, donor installation and display mandates, attitudes toward attributional changes, and deaccession restrictions will also be considered.