Donated to the Art Institute of Chicago one of the most prestigious private collections of French art in the U.S.

TheArt Institute of Chicago will be enriched by the most prestigious private collection of paintings, drawings, and sculpture by the great French masters of the 16th to 19th centuries in the United States, thanks to the extraordinary donation of Jeffrey and Carol Horvitz. Although the museum is already celebrated for housing one of the most comprehensive collections of 19th-century French art in the world, this donation will offer visitors a unique journey through 300 years of French art, unparalleled outside France.

The donation includes some 2,000 drawings, 200 paintings, and 50 sculptures, with works by leading artists such as Charles Le Brun, François Boucher, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Jacques-Louis David, and Théodore Géricault. In addition, there are numerous works by women artists, including Anne Vallayer Coster, Élisabeth Vigée Lebrun, Marie-Gabrielle Capet and Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, as well as rare pieces that are difficult to find in the United States, such as those by Jacques Bellange, Reynaud Levieux and Nicolas Prevost.

The result of more than four decades of research and acquisition, the collection continues to expand and evolve. Over the past three decades, many of the works have been shown in major thematic exhibitions in museums in the United States and Europe. Most recently, in late 2024, two exhibitions at the Art Institute-French Neoclassical Paintings from The Horvitz Collection and Revolution to Restoration: French Drawings from The Horvitz Collection-presented to the public a small portion of the paintings and drawings belonging to the Horvitz Collection .

To ensure the long-term preservation, stewardship and accessibility of the collection and programming related to French art, the donation will be accompanied by a phased financial contribution. This initiative, destined to become one of the most significant in the Art Institute’s history, will support the preservation of works, the creation of special exhibitions, scholarly research and the work of museum staff.

“We always envisioned this collection remaining a whole to be more than the sum of its parts and going to a major U.S. museum where the greatest number of visitors could admire these artistic treasures, where scholars and curators could avail themselves of the resources and advance this important research, and where our enthusiasm would resonate long after we are gone,” said Jeffrey Horvitz. “We spent years thinking about where the collection should ultimately go-there was no more perfect choice than the Art Institute.”

This landmark collaboration is the result of a strategic partnership between Jeffrey and Carol Horvitz, Alvin Clark, curator of French works in the Horvitz collection, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Carol Horvitz, who is actively involved in the museum’s Board of Trustees, also collaborates on the management of other aspects of the Horvitz collection, such as the fine Chinese cinnabar lacquer and the most important collection of contemporary Japanese ceramics outside Japan.

“We are so grateful to Jeffrey and Carol for this impactful gift,” said James Rondeau, President, and Eloise W. Martin, Director of the Art Institute of Chicago. “Their continued support and passion for the museum is truly special, not only because it will allow millions of visitors to experience a more complete history of French art, but also because their generous financial support for the care and research of this collection will allow us to continue to advance our broader mission.”

Pictured, staging of the exhibition French Neoclassical Paintings from The Horvitz Collectionat the Art Institute of Chicago (2024)

Donated to the Art Institute of Chicago one of the most prestigious private collections of French art in the U.S.

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