The Chicago philanthropists and art collectors Marilyn and Larry Fields have gifted 79 works from their collection—largely by woman-identifying and Bipoc (Black, Indigenous and people of colour) artists—to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Chicago.“This is a landmark gift which truly helps the museum fulfil its mission,” says Madeleine Grynsztejn, the MCA’s director. Developed in collaboration with MCA curators, the group of donated works supports the museum’s goal of presenting a more inclusive art history and reflects a longstanding symbiotic relationship that began in 1998, when Marilyn Fields joined the Women’s Board at the museum. Larry Fields has been on the inside track of the museum since becoming a trustee in 2005 and serving on the executive and collection committees.The Fields began seriously collecting in 2002. “The museum’s programmes over the years influenced their points of view, and their points of view then aligned with the programme,” Grynsztejn says, characterising this as a virtuous cycle. What makes the gift a game-changer for the MCA is that it helps fill gaps in the collection and acknowledges a larger public that is increasingly diverse demographically.Marilyn and Larry Fields (left and centre) and MCA director Madeleine Grynsztejn (right) Photo: Ingrid BonneOver the years, the Fields have consistently loaned works from their collection and helped to underwrite many exhibitions, including shows devoted to Howardena Pindell, Nick Cave, Kerry James Marshall and Gary Simmons. The couple’s previous gifts to the museum include works by Allora & Calzadilla and sculptor Doris Salcedo. In 2012, they donated $2m to endow the Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator position, first occupied by Naomi Beckwith (who left to join the Guggenheim) and currently held by Carla Acevedo-Yates.Until recently, Larry led the museum’s collection committee, a role he took seriously. “I wanted to lead by example,” he says. The MCA began as a small kunsthalle in 1967 and for many years, he says, it was associated with Minimalism and work by white male artists. By 2000, the museum began to course correct. The committee established a road map with clear goals to diversify the collection.About four years ago, Larry reached out to Grynsztejn about the gift. “I had the idea of these two legacies—one is to our family and the other is to the art world of Chicago,” Larry says, adding “I’m 73 now, and both our parents died when they were 72.” It was time to make a plan. The Fields say they benefited from input by former curators Michael Darling and Beckwith, who kickstarted the process, and René Morales and Jamillah James (who joined the museum in December 2021 and January 2022, respectively), who helped to complete the selection of 79 works from a collection of around 500 pieces.Installation view, Andrea Bowers, MCA Chicago, 2021-22. Wife with Heavy Burden, on left, by Andrea Bowers is a part of the Marilyn and Larry Fields gift Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.Nearly 80% of the works being donated are by woman-identifying and Bipoc artists. Of the 59 artists represented in the gift, 23 are entering the museum for the first time. The gift includes works by Huma Bhabha, Amanda Ross-Ho, Adrian Piper, Kehinde Wiley, Andrea Bowers and Jennie C. Jones. It also expands the museum’s existing concentrations in the work of key figures like Arthur Jafa, Cindy Sherman and Rashid Johnson. Chicago artists have always been an area of focus for the Fields; they were early supporters of Theaster Gates (five pieces by Gates are part of the gift), as well as Nick Cave (a 2008 Soundsuit is one of two Cave works they are donating).Marilyn ended her tenure with the MCA’s women’s board in 2016, but her influence is still felt. The museum’s family education programmes, for instance, are credited to her leadership.“The MCA is on a roll,” Larry says, referencing the gift by Dimitris Daskalopoulos last year. The gifts are complementary, giving the museum more options in conceptualising and contextualising future exhibitions. The Daskalopoulos gift of around 100 works, to be shared with the Guggenheim, represented a new donor model where institutions share resources and scholarship.Similarly, the Fields gift offers a creative example of a public-private partnership, Grynsztejn says, between philanthropists who know an institution well and curators who know their field well. “When you marry those two, you can really get magic on behalf of the larger public.”
