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Agnes Gund, Art Philanthropist and Collector, Dies at 87

The former president of MoMA, known for her immeasurable contributions to society, died at her Manhattan home on Thursday

By Galerie editors
Black and white portrait of a woman with short hair wearing a dark top, looking directly at the camera.
Agnes Gund, pictured in 1991. Photo: © Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. Courtesy of MoMa

Philanthropist and founder of the Art for Justice Fund Agnes Gund, who also served as president of the Museum of Modern Art, died on Thursday at her Manhattan home. Gund was 87.

A formidable collector, with pieces by Jasper Johns, Mark Rothko, and Roy Lichtenstein, Gund was also a tireless advocate for artists and a champion of the causes she held dear. Her incredible generosity was most demonstrated in 2017 with the sale of Roy Lichtenstein’s Masterpiece, 1962. The auction realized $165 million, with Gund dedicating $100 million towards the Art for Justice Fund, an initiative she created to support criminal justice reform. The fund, which stopped operating in 2023, was a powerful testament to her belief in art’s ability to make social change.

Group of people in suits and helmets participating in a groundbreaking ceremony with shovels under a tent.
Groundbreaking Ceremony of The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Left to right: Agnes Gund, President of the Board of Trustees; Yoshio Taniguchi, Architect of the new building; Ronald S. Lauder, Chairman of the Board; Donald B. Marron, Vice Chairman; Jerry I. Speyer, Vice Chairman; Rudy Giuliani, Mayor of New York City; David Rockefeller, Chairman Emeritus of the Board; Glenn D. Lowry, Director of the Museum. Photo: . Photographic Archive. The Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York

Gund’s long and impactful relationship with the Museum of Modern Art in New York is an important part of her legacy. She began at the museum on the international council in 1967, and rose through the ranks to become the president in 1991, a position she held for 11 years. 

She oversaw the museum’s ambitious $858 million expansion, which doubled its exhibition space. She also championed the case for adding contemporary art to the institution, creating a special fund for emerging artists and helping orchestrate the museum’s 1999 merger with the P.S. 1 Center for Contemporary Art. Former curator Robert Storr noted, as reported in the New York Times, she was a “strong advocate for contemporary art for 20 years and more.” 

Group of people in formal attire talking and enjoying a social event at a decorated table with flowers and candles.
2018 Party in the Garden benefit honoring Agnes Gund at The Museum of Modern Art. Agnes Gund with Klaus Biesenbach. Photo: Courtesy of MoMA

Over the decades, Gund was a prominent force in the New York art scene, and a constant presence at art galas, exhibition openings, and artist studios. 

As reported in the New York Times, Klaus Biesenbach, the former director of MoMA PS1, said, “She makes her philanthropy a 24/7 full-time job and therefore makes herself an institution.”