Grey Art Gallery & Study Center

The Grey Art Gallery is New York University's fine arts museum whose function is to collect, preserve, study, document, interpret, and exhibit the evidence of human culture. the Grey distinguishes itself by emphasizing art's historical, cultural, and social contexts, with experimentation and interpretation as integral parts of programmatic planning. Thus, in addition to being a place to view the objects of material culture, the Gallery serves as a museum-laboratory in which a broader view of an object's environment enriches our understanding of its contribution to civilization.

The Grey Gallery and Student Center was inagurated on April 9, 1975 at 100 Washington Square East/33 Washington Place in the Silver Center building. Located on the site of the original New York University building (1835-1892), it was here that the nation’s first art department headed by Professor Samuel Morse was established. In 1927 Albert E. Gallatin, son of an NYU chemistry professor, established what is considered to be the first museum of modern art in the United States on the same site called the Gallery of Living Art. Later renamed Museum of Living Art, its collection consisted of contemporary paintings and drawings by creative and progressive artists. The museum was closed-down by the university in 1943 due to economic reasons.

In 1958 the New York University Art Collection was founded with the acquisition of Francis Picabia's "Resonateur" (ca.1922) and Fritz Glarner's "Relational Painting" (1949–50). Overseen by the NYU Art Committee headed by curator, Ruth Bowman, the collection continued to grow over the next decade and a half with the aid of alumni, artists and friends of the university. By the middle of the 1970s, the collection consisted of over 2000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and photographs with heavy concentration in modern art, including works by such artists as Picasso, Leger and Hofmann. Many of the collection pieces were hung at separate locations throughout the university with new acquisitions being exhibited each year at the Contemporary Art Gallery of the Loeb Student Center. However, due to the lack of available space, most of the art work was kept in storage when not part of a special exhibition.

In 1974 Abby Weed Grey, a wealthy art collector and philanthropist, decided to donate one million dollars for the establishment of The Grey Art Gallery and Study Center. Most of the money went into renovating the 1st, 3rd and basement floors of the Silver Center building. The remaining funds were set aside as a permanent endowment for the maintenance, display and exhibition expenses of the collection, with the agreement that the university would cover basic operating expenses. Along with the financial contribution, Abby Grey also donated a large collection of Middle Eastern and Asian art which she had collected over the course of her life. This donation, combined with the New York University Art Collection, became the university's permanent collection housed in the newly established gallery. Mrs. Grey remained a frequent supporter of the gallery, giving another large donation in 1977 for the construction of the Grey Art Gallery and Study Center Library of Fine Arts with the stipulation that selections from the Ben Abby Grey Foundation donated previously by her foundation would be exhibited in the library premises on a constant basis.

Upon its establishment, Grey Gallery was put under the authority of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences with Kenneth L. Mathis appointed its first director; Joy L. Gordon became the first curator. From inception, the Grey Gallery suffered from financial dificulties with many of its programs and exhibitions made possible due to extensive support by the National Endowment for the Arts, The National Endowment for the Humanities and the New York State Council for the Arts. The Gallery showcased large exhibitions in the main hall of the building with smaller exhibits staged in the small gallery and the gallery windows.

In the late 1970s the Grey Art Gallery was put under External Affairs alongside University Development, Press, Government and Community Relations. When External Affairs was disbanded in early 2000s, Grey Gallery stayed under University Development (UDAR) until being transferred under the Office of the Provost in the late 2000s.

From the guide to the Records of the Grey Art Gallery and Study Center, Bulk, 1975-1997, 1958-2012, (New York University Archives)