PRINTER'S NO. 3976
No. 804 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY JOSEPHS, D. EVANS, ROEBUCK, MANDERINO, PAYTON,
BEAR, BENNINGHOFF, BENNINGTON, BEYER, BISHOP, CALTAGIRONE,
CLYMER, COHEN, CREIGHTON, CURRY, DiGIROLAMO, DONATUCCI,
FRANKEL, GEIST, GEORGE, GIBBONS, GINGRICH, GODSHALL, GRUCELA,
HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, JAMES, W. KELLER, KENNEY, KULA, LEACH,
MAJOR, MANN, MANTZ, MARKOSEK, MELIO, MILLARD, R. MILLER,
MUNDY, MURT, MYERS, M. O'BRIEN, PALLONE, PARKER, QUINN, RAPP,
READSHAW, ROSS, RUBLEY, SANTONI, SAYLOR, K. SMITH, STEIL,
SWANGER, THOMAS, VULAKOVICH, WATSON, YOUNGBLOOD, PETRONE,
MOYER, CONKLIN, D. O'BRIEN AND WALKO, JUNE 18, 2008
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
JUNE 18, 2008
A RESOLUTION
1 Honoring the life of Anne d'Harnoncourt.
2 WHEREAS, The House of Representatives sadly notes and deeply
3 mourns the loss of Anne d'Harnoncourt, widely recognized
4 Philadelphia Museum of Art director and chief executive officer
5 and well-respected civic leader and cultural advocate; and
6 WHEREAS, The House of Representatives proudly recognizes Ms.
7 d'Harnoncourt's remarkable legacy; and
8 WHEREAS, A national and international leader in the arts, Ms.
9 d'Harnoncourt was steadfastly devoted to the advancement,
10 enjoyment and educational impact of art and culture in the City
11 of Philadelphia, this Commonwealth and beyond; and
12 WHEREAS, Born on September 7, 1943, in Washington, DC, and
13 raised in Manhattan, Ms. d'Harnoncourt was the daughter of Sarah
1 Carr d'Harnoncourt and Rene d'Harnoncourt, an artist and
2 longtime director of the Museum of Modern Art; and
3 WHEREAS, Ms. d'Harnoncourt attended the Brearley School and
4 Radcliffe College, where she majored in European and British
5 history and literature, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta
6 Kappa; and
7 WHEREAS, Ms. d'Harnoncourt earned a master's degree from
8 London University's Courtauld Institute of Art; and
9 WHEREAS, In 1967 Ms. d'Harnoncourt began her career at the
10 Philadelphia Museum of Art as a curatorial assistant in the
11 Department of Painting and Sculpture; and
12 WHEREAS, In 1969 Ms. d'Harnoncourt became assistant curator
13 of 20th century art at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she
14 met her future husband, Joseph J. Rishel; and
15 WHEREAS, Ms. d'Harnoncourt returned to the Philadelphia
16 Museum of Art in 1972 as associate curator of 20th century art;
17 and
18 WHEREAS, Ms. d'Harnoncourt curated, organized or co-organized
19 numerous groundbreaking exhibitions, including Marcel Duchamp in
20 1973, Violet Oakley in 1979 and Futurism and the International
21 Avant-garde in 1980; and
22 WHEREAS, As a scholar, Ms. d'Harnoncourt further advanced
23 understanding and appreciation of the arts and artists through
24 museum catalogs and publications; and
25 WHEREAS, As director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art since
26 1982, Ms. d'Harnoncourt provided meaningful experiences and
27 enhanced the lives of Commonwealth citizens and visitors from
28 near and far through the strength of her leadership and belief
29 in the power of art; and
30 WHEREAS, Ms. d'Harnoncourt expanded the Philadelphia Museum
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1 of Art's public outreach through revitalization of numerous
2 galleries dedicated to its great art treasures; and
3 WHEREAS, Under Ms. d'Harnoncourt's direction, the
4 Philadelphia Museum of Art showcased the works of world-renowned
5 artists such as Marcel Duchamp, Paul Cezanne, Vincent Van Gogh,
6 Henry Ossawa Tanner, Thomas Eakins, Salvador Dali, Auguste
7 Renoir and Frida Kahlo; and
8 WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Museum of Art expanded horizons of
9 imagination with exhibitions dedicated to lesser-known artists,
10 such as Antonio Mancini and Beauford Delaney, and evoked
11 understanding and love of world cultures through exhibitions
12 such as African Art/African Voices, Ike Taiga and Tokuyama
13 Gyokuran, and Tesoros: The Arts in Latin America; and
14 WHEREAS, In 1996 Ms. d'Harnoncourt popularized and created
15 broad awareness of the Philadelphia Museum of Art's Cezanne
16 exhibition, bringing unprecedented numbers of visitors from the
17 region and around the globe; and
18 WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Museum of Art under her leadership
19 has generated an annual economic impact ranging from $210
20 million to $235 million; and
21 WHEREAS, Ms. d'Harnoncourt dedicated herself to the power of
22 education to change lives through education programs of the
23 Philadelphia Museum of Art; and
24 WHEREAS, These programs serve 85,000 visiting school children
25 and 200,000 people of all ages who attend free after-school and
26 artists-in-residence programs of the museum and other programs
27 developed in conjunction with Philadelphia public schools; and
28 WHEREAS, Distance-learning and Internet-based resources for
29 teachers are available through the new Wachovia Education
30 Resource Center; and
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1 WHEREAS, Ms. d'Harnoncourt collaborated and partnered with
2 diverse cultural organizations from across the region, including
3 the Free Library of Philadelphia, Taller Puertorriqueno, Police
4 Athletic League, City of Philadelphia Department of Recreation
5 and the Mural Arts Program; and
6 WHEREAS, Ms. d'Harnoncourt's community outreach extended to
7 the Curtis Institute of Music, Congreso de Latinos Unidos,
8 Mexican Cultural Center, Council of Spanish Speaking
9 Organizations, African American Museum of Philadelphia, The
10 Lighthouse, Multicultural Affairs Congress, AFRICOM, La Casa
11 Latina of the University of Pennsylvania and the Intercultural
12 Center of Swarthmore College; and
13 WHEREAS, Ms. d'Harnoncourt raised the profile of the
14 Philadelphia Museum of Art regionally, nationally and
15 internationally; and
16 WHEREAS, Ms. d'Harnoncourt dynamically enhanced the physical
17 presence of the Philadelphia Museum of Art through the Ruth and
18 Raymond G. Perelman Building, which opened in 2007; and
19 WHEREAS, The Perelman addition provides state-of-the-art
20 spaces for the enjoyment and study of prints, drawings,
21 photographs, costumes, textiles, modern and contemporary design,
22 the museum library and archives and new educational resources;
23 and
24 WHEREAS, Ms. d'Harnoncourt led the renovation of the
25 Philadelphia Museum of Art's beloved landmark building, with a
26 master plan including expansion and renovation of galleries as
27 designed by world-renowned architect Frank O. Gehry; and
28 WHEREAS, A consummate fundraiser, Ms. d'Harnoncourt led the
29 charge in partnership with the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
30 to keep Thomas Eakins' masterpiece The Gross Clinic in
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1 Philadelphia; and
2 WHEREAS, Ms. d'Harnoncourt received some of the world's most
3 prestigious awards, including the Philadelphia Award (1997), the
4 Founder's Award for Exemplary Service to History of the
5 Historical Society of Pennsylvania (2001) and the Order of Art
6 and Letters of the Republic of France (2002); and
7 WHEREAS, Ms. d'Harnoncourt received an honorary doctorate of
8 law degree from Princeton University (2002) and the Order of the
9 Aztec Eagle from the Republic of Mexico (2007); and
10 WHEREAS, Ms. d'Harnoncourt served on numerous boards of
11 directors, including the Smithsonian Institution, Georgia
12 O'Keefe Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, Fabric Workshop and
13 Museum, Fairmount Park Art Association, Japan Society, John Cage
14 Trust, ARTstor and International Advisory Committee of the State
15 Hermitage Museum; and
16 WHEREAS, Ms. d'Harnoncourt was an active member of the
17 Association of Art Museum Directors and the American
18 Philosophical Society and a fellow of the American Academy of
19 Arts and Letters; and
20 WHEREAS, Ms. d'Harnoncourt dedicated herself equally to every
21 visitor to the Philadelphia Museum of Art; and
22 WHEREAS, Ms. d'Harnoncourt nurtured a world-class, devoted
23 museum staff; and
24 WHEREAS, Ms. d'Harnoncourt was a resident of the Fitler
25 Square section of Philadelphia with her husband, Joseph J.
26 Rishel, who survives her; therefore be it
27 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives, saddened by her
28 passing and respectful of her remarkable legacy, honor the life
29 of Anne d'Harnoncourt; and be it further
30 RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
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1 Joseph J. Rishel.
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