MIAMI BEACH, FL (FEBRUARY 8, 2008)—The Wolfsonian-Florida International University announces the donation of a mammoth painting done by architect Lloyd Morgan that illustrates the buildings designed by New York architectural firm Schultze & Weaver between 1921 and 1936. “This gift is a wonderful addition to our extensive holdings of work by Schultze & Weaver. While we knew of this painting through a photograph in the archive, we thought it was lost,” says Wolfsonian associate director for curatorial affairs and education Marianne Lamonaca.

The painting, which measures six feet by fourteen feet, was donated by Lloyd Morgan’s nephew Horace Kephart, a retired Philadelphia businessman and his family. Morgan, a graduate of Pratt Institute and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, became a partner in the New York architectural firm Schultze & Weaver in 1928. (The hotels of Schultze and Weaver were the subject of The Wolfsonian’s 2005 exhibition, In Pursuit of Pleasure: Schultze & Weaver and the American Hotel. The Biltmore Hotel and the Freedom Tower are among their Miami projects). Architectural historian Andrew S. Dolkart featured a photograph of the painting in The American Hotel issue of the Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts (2005). Dolkart wrote, “Schultze and Weaver designed a wide variety of buildings—apartment houses, clubs, office buildings, and homes—as is evident in a spectacular painting by Lloyd Morgan that illustrates all of their buildings designed between 1921 and 1936. The painting is dominated by the towers of their three great New York City apartment hotels [Pierre, Sherry-Netherland, and Waldorf-Astoria.”

In a recent blog on her website, Beth Kephart Books, the niece of the artist wrote, “My brother, sister, and I grew up visiting our great uncle's Tarrytown, NY, home, and this was the painting that hung on…[my uncle’s] one, proud living room wall. It was his life work, a single cityscape risen against a red-brown sky, and after he passed away, the painting was sent to us, where it resided, first, in my father's corporate office, and, later, in our family basement. None of our walls were ever big enough to hold it.”

The Kephart family, at great expense, lovingly restored the painting, which will be installed in the permanent collection galleries. The Wolfsonian is grateful for their generous gift, and for their acknowledgement of our commitment to preserve, interpret, and make available to the public this important document of America’s built environment.

About The Wolfsonian–Florida International University
The Wolfsonian–FIU is a museum and research center that uses objects to illustrate the persuasive power of art and design to explore what it means to be modern, and to tell the story of social, political, and technological changes that have transformed the world. The approximately 120,000 artifacts that comprise The Wolfsonian collection range from fine art, graphic design, and political propaganda to furniture, rare books, and ephemeral materials such as postcards and travel brochures. Since opening to the public just ten years ago, The Wolfsonian has developed and disseminated critically acclaimed exhibitions, publications, and educational programs that highlight the impact of design in shaping the modern world. Its vast patrimony of primary source materials provides unparalleled opportunities for scholarship and appreciation, making it a unique resource for local, national, and international audiences.

The Wolfsonian is located at 1001 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, Fla. Admission is $7 adults; $5 seniors, students, and children six-12; free for Wolfsonian members, State University System of Florida staff and students with ID, children under six, and Miami Beach residents with ID. The museum is open Monday, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday from noon-6pm; Thursday and Friday from noon-9pm; and is closed on Wednesday. Contact us at 305.531.1001 or visit us online at www.wolfsonian.org.

The Wolfsonian receives ongoing support from the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council; Crispin Porter + Bogusky; Continental Airlines, the preferred airline of The Wolfsonian; the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Foundation; and Pistils & Petals.

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