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One of the basic reasons for its success, I think, has been the insistence on high quality in the works selected. We have been extremely fortunate over the years in having the services of an expert and dedicated Art Committee which has guide our purchases. This Committee has included Alfred H. Barr, Jr. and Dorothy Miller of the Museum of Modern Art, James J. Sweeney, formerly at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Perry Rathbone of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Robert B. Hale, formerly at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Gordon Bunshaft, Senior Partner of the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and a noted collector in his own right. This committee has worked devotedly to find and chose works of museum quality for our collection whether a $100 print or a $10,000 painting. 

Two of the most important aspects of the Chase Manhattan collection, in my opinion, are its catholicity and its lack of dependence on "big names." The spread of the collection from pre-Columbian and primitive works to the latest showings of the art galleries and covering works from 40 countries has been deliberate; the preponderance of younger and lesser-known artists has been, to a degree, a question of budget limitations. The result, however, has been a happy one in that we have been able to give the widest kind of support to the art community as a whole through our purchases. And, as our program continues, we look forward to making this support even broader.

David [[?]]
Chairman of the Boards 

Pictures: Top to Bottom

Leonard Baskin: Owl. 1960. Bronze [image]

Pierre Soulages: 23 March 1960. Oil
[image]