Art Review: Neuberger Museum of Art at 50: Classy, Sleek, and Modern

Last week I went to Westchester County, N.Y., to conduct interviews for my biography of the dynamic, idiosyncratic art dealer Allan Stone. Along the way, I visited the must-see gem in Purchase, the Neuberger Museum of Art, which is celebrating its 50th birthday this year. Its foundation is the finance titan Roy Neuberger’s collection of American modern art, stretching more or less from 1920 to the ’70s. The collection began with Neuberger’s gift of 300 objects in 1969 and the opening of the museum in 1974. It now holds more than 6,500 works of art. The collection is the best of its kind.

I can’t say there’s a single star, but Jackson Pollock’s Number 8, from 1949, is fabulous and on view in a small but precise and illuminating anniversary show explaining how the Neuberger came to be. The Promised Gift is the first of four anniversary shows focused on pivotal moments in the Neuberger’s history. It’s about the Neuberger specifically but also about the zeitgeist of each moment.

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Brian T. Allen

Brian T. Allen is National Review’s art critic.

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Last week I went to Westchester County, N.Y., to conduct interviews for my biography of the dynamic, idiosyncratic art dealer Allan Stone. Along the way, I visited the must-see gem in Purchase, the Neuberger Museum of Art, which is celebrating its 50th birthday this year. Its foundation is the finance titan Roy Neuberger’s collection of American modern art, stretching more or less from 1920 to the ’70s. The collection began with Neuberger’s gift of 300 objects in 1969 and the opening of the museum in 1974. It now holds more than 6,500 works of art. The collection is the best of its kind.

I can’t say there’s a single star, but Jackson Pollock’s Number 8, from 1949, is fabulous and on view in a small but precise and illuminating anniversary show explaining how the Neuberger came to be. The Promised Gift is the first of four anniversary shows focused on pivotal moments in the Neuberger’s history. It’s about the Neuberger specifically but also about the zeitgeist of each moment.