| Dahesh Museum of Art | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1995 |
| Location | Traveling Collection |
| Director | Flora Edouwaye S. Kaplan |
| Website | Dahesh Museum of Art |
The Dahesh Museum of Art is the only museum in the United States devoted to the collection and exhibition of European academic art of the 19th and 20th century. The collection originated with Lebanese writer, humanist, and philosopher Saleem Moussa Ashi (1909–1984), whose pen name was Dr. Dahesh. The core of the museum's exhibit is Dr. Dahesh's collection of more than 2,000 academic paintings created in a style that struggled for years to compete with Impressionism.[1] The museum has been without a home since 2008 with the collection available online and in a traveling exhibition.
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The museum's creation stems from the Zahid Family's inheritance of Dr. Dahesh's collection upon his death. Five members of the family serve on the Museum's Board and chose to creation the museum in Manhattan rather than Lebanon due to the challenges of the city's art community.[1] The Museum was incorporated in 1987 and opened officially in 1995 at an 1,800-square-foot (170 m2) gallery on Fifth Avenue in New York City. It struggled in the early years, due in part to the relatively obscure nature of its founder's legacy,[2] and the perception of illustration as an art form.[3] Despite the struggles, the museum attracted an annual attendance of about 20,000 people and it was able to amass a $30m endowment in a little more than five years, rivaling that of the Guggenheim Museum.[1]
In September 2003, it opened in a new 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) space at 580 Madison Avenue and 56th street three years after an unsuccessful bid on a Columbus Circle property[1] and a year after the new location was announced.[4] This property, the former IBM Gallery, was completely redesigned by Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates.[5]
Although the museum moved out of the space on Madison Avenue in January 2008,[6] due to rent related issues that caused it to look for a subletter for the remainder of its lease,[7] the collection continues to travel throughout New York City and the world[8] and the website has been redesigned in order to make the collection virtual.[9] The museum hopes to find a new permanent home in Manhattan, although it has considered other locations in the area.[7]