$100M In Art Given To Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art announced its biggest gift in 62 years Wednesday. More than $100 million in art from Clevelanders Joseph P. and Nancy F. Keithley was transferred to the museum, some of which will be on view by Tuesday in the museum galleries.

The collection features Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and modern paintings, prints and drawings as well as Chinese and Japanese ceramics. The gift of more than 100 works, most given outright and others promised, includes a still-life painting of tulips by Henri Matisse from 1914, a pastel seascape by Eug è ne Boudin from 1860 and a porcelain, yellow-glazed bowl from the early 1500s.

A porcelain, yellow-glazed bowl from early 1500s, China [Gift of Joseph P. and Nancy F. Keithley / Cleveland Museum of Art]

Joseph P. Keithley previously led Keithley Instruments, Inc., in Solon. Nancy F. Keithley, a longtime museum trustee, said in a statement: “It is important to us to share our collection with our fellow Northeast Ohioans, and we felt the Cleveland Museum of Art was a perfect home for the works of art we have assembled, cherished, and now joyfully make available to all.”

“It would be difficult to overstate the impact of Joe and Nancy’s gift and promised gift,” said Museum Director William Griswold in the news release.

This gift is the largest the museum has received since the 1958 bequest of Leonard C. Hanna, Jr.

The museum is planning a large-scale exhibit of the Keithley’s collection in 2022.

"Tulips" by Henri Mattise [Gift of Joseph P. and Nancy F. Keithley / Cleveland Museum of Art]