MEREDITH J. LONG

1928-2020

Legendary gallerist, devoted husband, beloved father, and singular patron for the arts, conservation, education, and medicine, Meredith J. Long passed away on June 3, 2020. As always, he was surrounded by his loving family.

Founded in 1957, Meredith Long & Co. was one of the first art galleries in the nation to champion the rebirth of interest in nineteenth and early-twentieth-century American Art. Since establishing the gallery, he and his wife Cornelia have contributed over 100 significant works of art to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, including many seminal works that form its core collection of American art: by George Bellows, Mary Cassatt, Richard Diebenkorn, Helen Frankenthaler, George Inness, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Motherwell, Elie Nadelman, and Kenneth Noland, along with many others. Meredith was also instrumental in the formation of many important private collections in Houston and beyond. In 2003, President George W. Bush appointed him to serve as a member of the Cultural Property Advisory Committee for the U.S. State Department. In 2010, upon the opening of an important exhibition of John Singer Sargent works, then director of the MFAH and friend Peter C. Marzio remarked that “thanks to Meredith Long, there are more Sargents in Houston than any other place in the world.” Meredith served as a member of the board of directors of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston from 1974 to 1980, and along with his wife Cornelia—who has since served on the board and also led the institution as Chairman—they formed several important endowments for both operating expenses and art acquisitions. Current director Gary Tinterow said: “It is impossible to overstate the impact of Meredith Long on the Museum of Fine Arts. Trusted colleague and advisor of directors and curators for more than 50 years, generous donor and strategist, he shepherded hundreds of important works of art into the Museum’s collections through direct individual gifts and indirectly through private collectors, establishing Houston as a center for the display and study of nineteenth and twentieth-century American art. Although we will sorely miss his smile, warmth and enthusiasm, his benevolent spirit will be felt at the Museum for decades to come.”

Through his life-long appreciation of art, Meredith discovered his second great passion: wildlife advocacy and conservation. He became interested in habitat conservation through the works of great artists such as Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins, Theodore Rousseau, Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait, and John Martin Tracy. Meredith recognized that, in addition to creating important works of art, they also documented a historic record of the wildlife and the disappearing landscape of their time, and he devoted over 50 years of his life to the preservation and conservation of these habitats, particularly in Texas. He encouraged and supported many respected Texas wildlife artists, including Al Barnes, Herb Booth, and Jack Cowan. Through his tireless advocacy of their works, in addition to the high modernist artists he represented throughout his career, he contributed to what will continue to be a lasting historic record of Texas wildlife and habitat.

Meredith was born September 14, 1928 in Joplin, Missouri to father Emery Meredith “Jack” Long and mother Martha “Billie” Atteberry Long. His father was a salesman for Curtis Mathes Manufacturing, like his father before him, and his mother was a devout Baptist and exceptionally devoted parent to Meredith and his sister Grace Delene Long. The family moved to Austin, Texas, where Meredith attended high school and was a national debate champion. He extended his illustrious debate credentials to the University of Texas in 1950, both for his undergraduate instruction and also for Law School. He excelled as a member of the National Intercollegiate Debate Team, and as both a member of the Texas Cowboys and the revered University of Texas Friar Society. As reported by Douglas Dempster, longtime friend and now Dean of the College of Fine Arts, University of Texas Austin, Meredith often remarked that “he discovered who he was and who he wanted to be at the University of Texas. He never forgot the difference his education made to him, and he and Cornelia have never forgotten what a difference it makes for future generations of students with their support. We honor him as a loyal alumnus of the University of Texas and I cherish his memory as a dear friend.”

The ROTC Program, another phase of his life of which he was enormously proud, also began at the University of Texas. In 1951 he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and was assigned to Strategic Air Command in Fort Worth, Texas after training at Fort Carson in Colorado. He later transferred to French Morocco as a First Lieutenant in 1952. He had his loyal German Shepherd with him; a theme that followed him throughout his life. Meredith always had one of his many devoted canine companions by his side.

While on leave abroad, he visited numerous museums and decided that he wanted a career in the art world. As he noted in a profile in 2007, his parents were none too pleased that they weren’t “going to have a lawyer son” but he persisted and moved to Houston in 1957 to search for permanent gallery space. It was then that he started his legacy as the pre-eminent art dealer in Houston and a career that spanned over 63 years.

Anyone who knew Meredith well knows that he married the love of his life, Cornelia Cullen Long, in 1967 and a life-long romance that was admired by everyone around them endured. They welcomed their seventh child, Martha Katherine Long Wade, a year later. Martha began working at the gallery at the age of 13, and has been by her father’s side ever since. Service at his galleries in both Texas and New York was a family tradition, with daughters Jenny and Gretchen and sons Bo and Cavanaugh also proudly representing the galleries for clients.

In more recent years, his dedication to philanthropy has been a central theme. He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Alley Theatre from 1989 to 1993, and continued as Chairman Emeritus and Life Trustee. He also served in prestigious board roles for the national Archives of American Art and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In 1993, he began serving as Chairman of Texas Heart Institute; a role he continued until 2011. One of the visible hallmarks of Meredith’s chairmanship was the realization of the Denton A. Cooley Building, which houses some of the most important cardiovascular research and education facilities in the world. “Meredith Long’s tremendous impact on the City of Houston and its arts, education, and medical communities cannot be overstated. The Texas Heart Institute is indebted to Mr. Long for his 25 years of leadership as Chairman of THI Board of Directors, during which time he utilized his astute business acumen to help propel THI forward in myriad ways,” noted Texas Heart Institute Chair Eric D. Wade. He added, “The indelible mark he left through his arts patronage, his immense generosity, and his rigorous work ethic will endure forever. On behalf of the Texas Heart Institute, I send heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and all those who were fortunate enough to cross paths with him during his remarkable life.”

Meredith has been on the College of Fine Arts Advisory Council at the University of Texas Austin since 1979, and along with his wife Cornelia, endowed the Chair for Art and Art History in 2014, one of the largest endowed chairs in the college. They also endowed a number of scholarships, including their largest in this category in 2015, which has annually allowed dozens of students to accept otherwise unaffordable, career-launching opportunities.

When not serving the community through his storied gallery or board service, Meredith could be found shooting at his South Texas ranch or fishing near his home in Basalt, Colorado. Some of his closest friends and fellow sportsmen, Reed Morian, Phil John, and Jay Herbert, had similar thoughts to share about his love for wildlife and conservation. All referred to him as maybe the last of a breed of “gentlemen sportsmen,” who was passionate about conservation and one of the best quail shots in the country. He was always looking to improve habitat and also making sure his guests had the best hunting experience possible. Meredith had an encyclopedic knowledge of bird dogs and was active in their training and handling. Most of all, Meredith was generous with anyone who came into contact with him, and mentored countless people in the best possible ways to be a responsible hunter and fisherman. “He was a legendary raconteur. He was always the person whose stories you wanted to listen to most.” Among his most nuanced efforts – never for credit, but things that just needed to be done – he financed the Gulf Coast Conservation Association, the Kleberg Institute for Quail Research, and numerous grants for stream restoration in the Frying Pan River in his beloved Colorado. In 2010, he was inducted into the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation’s Hall of Fame.

He is survived by many friends and a large family, including wife Cornelia Cullen Long, children Ernest Meredith “Bo” Long, wife Dorothy and their children, Molly Crispen, Meredith Taylor, wife Jenny and children Penelope Dyer and Emory Forest; Jenny Long Murphy, husband Edwin and their children, Laura Catherine and fiancée Keefer Lehner, John “Jack” Meredith, and Caroline Rose; Gretchen Long Jameson, husband Peter and their daughter Kelly Grace; Martha Katherine Long Wade and husband Sean; Cornelia O’Leary Zilkha, husband Michael and their children, Daniel Michael, wife Janie Wilde and child Genevieve Leila, daughter Lucinda Louise “Lulu” Zilkha and husband Andrew Philip Francis and children Cecilia Anna and Imogen Cristina; Alisa Erin O’Leary; John Cavanaugh O’Leary, Jr., wife Blanca and son John Cavanaugh O’Leary III.

Serving as honorary pallbearers are lifelong friends Isaac Arnold, Jr., Philip J. John, John W. Kelsey, C. Berdon Lawrence, S. Reed Morian, Thomas William Porter III, and Fayez S. Sarofim.

The family wishes to thank Dr. James T. Willerson, Dr. Gary Erwin, and Alice Moore, RN; along with caretakers Chris Barnes, Dawn Bloomer, Andrea Hermida, Carla Herrera, Jose Ramirez, Moises Ramirez, Wainy Tesfamichael, and Mary Ugonna for their excellent and devoted care.

In lieu of flowers, contributions should be made to the Texas Heart Institute. As his wife Cornelia noted, “they gave me Meredith for another 40 years.” Donations may be sent to Texas Heart Institute at P.O. Box 1403, Houston, Texas, 77251-9908. The family also encourages donations to Houston Hospice, which they thank for Meredith’s care in his final days. Donations may be sent to Houston Hospice at 1905 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, Texas 77030.