The Mark Legacy

2019

Melvin "Pete" Mark Jr. (1926–2017) and his wife Mary Kridel Mark (1930–2008) were among the most generous patrons of the Portland Art Museum in its history. This installation highlights nearly twenty works of art they donated to the Museum. The Marks were passionate collectors of American and French art of the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, and they were especially attracted to landscapes, city views, and still life paintings. In 2009 and 2011, Pete gave two of their favorite paintings, Paul Gauguin’s Garden View, Rouen and Gustave Courbet’s Apples, Pears, and Grapes on a Table, in Mary’s honor. The remaining art on view was recently bequeathed to the Museum and entered the permanent collection at the end of 2018. The Mark bequest greatly enriches the Museum’s ability to represent the art of America and Europe, and each of the objects will delight visitors for generations to come.

Curated by Dawson Carr