The Broad Gift is organized by the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University. Support for this exhibition is provided by the MSU Broad’s general exhibitions fund.
About the Exhibition
Shown for the first time in its entirety, The Broad Gift brings together the remarkable donation of 18 works given to the MSU Broad by founding patrons Eli and Edythe Broad. The gift of these works supports the museum’s mission to develop a collection with contemporary currency that builds upon the rich historical holdings the MSU Broad inherited from the Kresge Art Museum, MSU’s former campus art museum. Featuring works primarily from the 1980s and 1990s by pivotal American artists including Donald Baechler, Ross Bleckner, Jonathan Borofsky, Peter Halley, Jonathan Lasker, Robert Longo, Elizabeth Murray, Sue Williams, and Terry Winters, The Broad Gift demonstrates the ways these works have enriched the museum’s ability to present the full progression of contemporary art in America.
Established by Eli and Edythe Broad in 1984, The Broad Art Foundation has increased access to contemporary art for audiences worldwide, providing more than 8,000 loans of art to nearly 500 museums and university galleries. Strong believers in higher education, the Broads have further extended their philanthropy to a number of universities across the country. In 1991, the Broads endowed the Eli Broad College of Business and the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management at Michigan State University, where Mr. Broad graduated cum laude in 1954. Longtime supporters of the university, in June 2007 the Broads provided the lead gift for the Zaha Hadid–designed museum, which was subsequently named in their honor, and recently provided an additional $5 million exhibition endowment named for Founding Director Michael Rush. Their unwavering support has allowed the MSU Broad to continue to be an educational resource across the campus community and a cultural hub for the Michigan region and beyond.