PRESIDENT'S REVIEW OF KRESS PROGRAMS

In the spring of 1999, the Kress Foundation concluded an extended review of its programming with the announcement of a new, ongoing philanthropic program for The Art of Europe in Context, renewing our commitment to art historical research, art conservation, and architectural preservation in Europe.

Conscious of our historic role as the most prodigious donor of European art to American museums, as a committed funder of the restoration of European monuments, and as a major sponsor of programs that advance the history of art, the Foundation brought these interests together in a new program area — Old Masters in Context — to encourage the presentation of works of art in the light of their history. The underlying premise is that the knowledge gathered by the historian of art — why objects were created, how and where they were originally seen, who they belonged to, and what they meant to their first viewers — has the potential to engage the interest of the general public, and that imaginative ways of sharing this information will excite new interest in Old Masters.

The goals of Kress programming are fused in the protection, interpretation, and enjoyment of European art and architecture. By exploring the art of the past in context, in relation to its own world, we expand the unique object of beauty – the painting or statue, the tapestry or cabinet, the chapel or villa – into a precious element in the continuum of human life, a bearer of meaning from those who have lived before.

Complete listings of recent grants can be reviewed in the annual reports available in the Download section on this website. Copies of our current and past annual reports may also be ordered from the Foundation.