Celebrating 100 Years
Celebrate The Museum’s 100th Anniversary through 2021!
Follow #Heckscher100 for more on social media.
Learn about key people and moments in the Museum’s History:
August Heckscher and his wife, Anna, dedicated the Heckscher Museum to the people of Huntington, “and especially the children,” on July 10, 1920.
George Grosz (1893-1959) was a leader in the Dada art movement in 1920s Berlin. Eclipse of the Sun is among the most significant paintings in a public collection on Long Island and one of the masterpieces of 20th-century art.
Eva Ingersoll Gatling, one of the first women in America to direct an art museum, was hired as the Museum’s first full-time professional director in October 1962. She is considered the force that put The Heckscher Museum “on the map” as an important regional museum.
The renowned American modernist Arthur Dove lived in Huntington with his wife, the artist Helen Torr, from 1924 to 1946. The Heckscher Museum acquired the Dove/Torr Cottage in Centerport in 1998.
Frederick Baker and Ronald G. Pisano focused their collecting interests on American Modernism, and began donating art to the Museum as early as 1975. The Baker/Pisano Collection at The Heckscher Museum of Art is the largest donation of artwork received by the Museum.
The Heckscher Museum strives to be a leading source of artistic inspiration for Long Island and the region through community engagement and education programs.
My Heckscher Story
Your story is our story, and we want to celebrate it!
The Heckscher Museum commemorates the fascinating people, events, and art that define the Museum’s first 100 years. Tell us about your own special moment / memory at the Museum! Share your story and photos, and you may be featured on our website, social media channels, and in the Museum during the upcoming exhibition!
Rico Ford
Art student
“In 2018, I had the honor of being the Long Island’s Best 4th place award winner, as well as the Grumbacher Visitors’ Choice. My experience with the museum has changed the way I see myself in this world. I was never exposed to art museums, or knew any artists like me. The Heckscher allowed me to meet artists my age from all different backgrounds. To this day in college, I still meet people who recognize my work, and made friends with students who participated in the show.”
Photo: Rico Ford alongside his award-winning artwork in Long Island’s Best 2018.
