NY Collectors Donate 125 Photographs to Israel Museum

By ARTINFO

Published: August 1, 2008

Noel and Harriette Levine have donated 125 photographic works to the Israel Museum, including Paul Outerbridge's "Self-portrait" (c. 1930).

Edward Weston Andre Kertesz Cindy Sherman Robert Adamson David Octavius Hill Alfred Stieglitz William Wegman SFMOMA Considers Unusual Expansion Plan

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JERUSALEM—New York collectors Noel and Harriette Levine have donated 125 photographic works to the Israel Museum, the New York Times reports. The comprehensive collection spans 160 years of photography and contains images by 19th-century British photographers such as David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson, modern masters like Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Weston, and contemporary figures including Cindy Sherman and William Wegman.

Due to the rise in market value of such works, most institutions can no longer afford to invest in them themselves, increasing the significance of the Levines' contribution.

The Levines also donated $1 million to endow the museum's photography department, which they have helped support since 1994, when they donated 80 signed works by Andre Kertesz. In 2005 they gave an additional $12 million.

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“This gift, along with the endowment, positions us to be a major force in the field,” said James S. Snyder, the museum’s director.

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