Donald and Doris Fisher, founders of the Gap clothing chain, recently announced their plans to erect a museum in the Presidio in San Francisco to share their contemporary art collection with the public. Slated to be built on a seven-acre parking lot which was once part of a US Military base, the museum will be located at the intersection of Lincoln Boulevard and Graham Street and will be home to the 1,000-plus pieces contained within the Fishers’ collection.
Comprised primarily of 20th and 21st Centurys art, the Fisher’s collection is considered one of the most extensive of its kind. More impressive than the size of the collections is the quality of the works included, most of which were purchased without the aid of a curator. Previously contained within two galleries at Gap’s San Francisco headquarters as well as at the Fisher’s home, the museum will allow others to behold works by artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Chuck Close, Gerhard Richter, Alexander Calder, Ellsworth Kelly, Andy Warhol and Willem de Kooning, capturing multiple phases in each artist’s career. The hallway that leads to Fisher’s office at Gap’s headquarters is said to contain a series of Warhol paintings of Mick Jagger, multiple Calder mobiles and a lithograph by Pablo Picasso.
“Art is an important part of our life and we want to share our collection with the public so everyone can enjoy it,” said Donald Fisher of his desire to move forward with the museum. Fisher also indicated that his decision was motivated by the fact that he did not want to have his collection sold after he passed away. Of the collection’s past exposure, Fisher admits “We’ve kept it quite private,” commenting on his new 100,000-square-foot venture that “you can’t stay out of sight forever.”
To build the museum, which will be an addition to the 1,500-acre national park, Fisher has contacted the New York based architecture firm Gluckman Mayner Architects, who helped designed the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and Spain’s Museo Picasso Malaga.
Fisher hopes the museum to be completed in three years.
—Andrew Eisen
Donald Fisher, Founder of Gap, offers to build a museum in the Presidio to house his art collection [S.F. Chronicle]
Gap founders to open S.F. art museum [The Mercury News]
