A Guiding Light
Anne Marion, who dedicated herself to the arts, has died at the age of 81.
Achampion of the arts, Anne Marion had a long reach across genres and styles of American art, including art of the West. She was the founder of Georgia O’keeffe Museum, a longtime supporter of the Cowboy
Artists of America, and served on boards at the Museum of Modern Art, the Kimbell Art Museum and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. She also owned ranches, including the famous 6666 Ranch in Texas. Marion died February 12 at the age of 81.
Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Marion was exposed to a Western lifestyle—ranches, cattle and horses—that would follow her around much of her life. The oil and ranching heiress, who was once listed on Forbes’ list of the 400 richest Americans, frequently turned her vast wealth toward the arts, most famously in 1997 when she founded the Georgia
O’keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
In a statement released following Marion’s death, the museum acknowledges the huge role she played in the museum’s creation. “The Georgia O’keeffe Museum exists because of Anne
Marion’s vision to create a single-artist museum devoted to Georgia O’keeffe’s work and legacy. With Mrs. Marion’s passing, we have lost an incredible woman whose spirit inspired and animated all we do at the O’keeffe,” the museum said. “Our collective sorrow is matched only by our admiration and gratitude for her leadership. We are thankful for Mrs. Marion’s generosity and we are honored to carry on her commitment to Georgia O’keeffe’s art and life story. Mrs. Marion will be long remembered for her dedication to New Mexico.”
Marion was also an ardent supporter of the CAA, which named its top award at its annual show the Anne Marion Best of Show Award. Painter and sculptor Bruce Greene was the recipient of the award in 2019. The CAA would frequently hold its annual trail ride at her ranch, the iconic “Four Sixes.” She is also an inductee in the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.