John Lafarge Jean-Michel Basquiat Philip Evergood William Merritt Chase George Catlin William Holbrook Beard Bruce Crane Nathaniel Currier

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The storied cemetery, resting place for the likes of Boss Tweed, Leonard Bernstein, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, kicked off its art collection with a small oil by Louis M. Eilshemius, known for lush landscapes of cavorting nymphs. It has now acquired over 70 works from both obscure and legendary painters, including Louis Comfort Tiffany, Eastman Johnson, William Merritt Chase, George Wesley Bellows, George Catlin, Daniel Huntington, John George Brown, Philip Evergood, Vestie Davis, Bruce Crane, John LaFarge, the printmakers Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives, and William Holbrook Beard.

“The collection is unique because none of the nation’s other historic cemeteries have substantial systematic collections of deceased artists,” said Jeffrey L. Richman, the cemetery’s historian.

The nonprofit cemetery has a limited annual budget of $13 million for operations, maintenance, and the restoration of monuments, but has so far managed to allocate some $250,000 for various paintings. “The economic downturn is horrible, but it has made a lot of art more affordable, so we’re hoping to keep acquiring,” said Richard J. Moylan, the president of Green-Wood.