Franklin & Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College

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The Phillips Museum of Art

About

History

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    • Virginia A. and Thomas G. Phillips III ’54, generous supporters of the arts at Franklin & Marshall, wear the Founders Medals they received at the rededication of the Phillips Museum of Art.

    • F&M Senior Exhibition

    • A photograph from the senior exhibition's reception at the Phillips Museum of Art.

    • William R. Hutson

    • A very different kind of contribution was made by William R. Hutson, a renowned abstract expressionist and retired faculty member who donated most of his art collection, valued at approximately $3 million, to the College. This collection consists of a number of works by Hutson himself, plus the works of others that Hutson collected over 40+ years. As I write this, a small portion of Hutson’s considerable work is on display in the College’s Phillips Museum of Art.

    • Rededication
    • curatorial practices seminar
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General Information

As a liberal arts college with a long history and substantial tradition, Franklin & Marshall has acquired a significant collection of art. This art has come to the College through the generosity of alumni, faculty, Lancaster residents and other interested friends. The collection exemplifies a blend of academic training and folk tradition reflecting a regional as well as broader, cultural heritage. It includes:

  • Works by academically trained painters such as Thomas Sully and Caroline Peart and early paintings by Benjamin West and Jacob Eichholtz
  • Landscapes of Lloyd Mifflin and Thomas Moran
  • Prints and photographs by 20th-century artists, including Keith Haring, Fritz Scholder, Robert Indiana, Chaim Gross, Elliot Erwitt, Manuel Bravo and Eliot Porter
  • Significant European holdings, including works by Rembrandt, Goya, Cezanne and Dali

Learn about our collection and view object pictures via our online collections database available through F&M's  Scholars Square. 

 

The Permanent Collection

The purpose of the Phillips Museum of Art is to foster an understanding and appreciation of the arts, which include contemporary, historical, and multicultural materials.  In its essence, the mission of the Phillips Museum is three-fold and encompasses the following:

  • Advancing the educational objectives of the college by presenting exhibitions and programs that support the curriculum, by acquisition of relevant objects and artworks, and by providing study and research opportunities for its faculty and students.
  • Contributing to the cultural life of the Lancaster community and the greater south central Pennsylvania regions.
  • Functioning as the steward of Franklin & Marshall College's permanent collection, and overseeing its management.

Thomas and Virginia Phillips

The museum was made possible by a major gift from Thomas G. Phillips III '54 and his wife, Virginia. "We believe this museum will be a wonderful addition to the Lancaster and Central Pennsylvania communities," said Phillips, a College trustee. "It seems like a natural way in which to enhance the arts at Franklin & Marshall."

Phillips is a Philadelphia native and a resident of Lebanon, Pa.  He started his career as a salesman at New Penn Motor Express and rose to become the executive vice president and director of the company.  Later, he held a similar post for its holding company, Arnold Industries. In 1983, Phillips became president of Phillips Office Products Inc., a company with retail stores and sales offices throughout the Central Pennsylvania region. In addition to a history of generous support for Franklin & Marshall College, Phillips has had numerous civic affiliations in the Lancaster and Lebanon areas. Phillips and his wife, Virginia, have four children.