Sarofim collection on loan to MFAH
For many years, the gentle, authoritative presence of the late Fayez Sarofim could silence a crowd as people stopped to listen. He was a man of few words and great humor. He rarely spoke in public, though he had a talent for zingers.
Fayez Sarofim, a noted philanthropist and investor, also had a keen eye for art. The Egyptian-born businessman spent 60 years assembling one of the country’s most significant private collections of American art. He died in May at age 93.
A selection of 125 masterworks from his collection, spanning 4,000 years from 2,000 B.C. to the 21st century, will be on longterm loan at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, beginning in early 2023, museum director Gary Tinterow announced Friday at the Grand Gala Ball fundrais
er, surrounded by 43 paintings and works of contemporary art.
The works are on loan in partnership with the Sarofim Foundation.
“Partnership, that’s a really good word,” Christopher Sarofim said. “This has been a long relationship. My father’s biggest gift he ever made went to the museum. Now the campus is named after him.”
In 2015, Fayez Sarofim committed $77 million toward MFAH’s $476-million capital campaign for expansion. Today, the completed 14-acre Museum District campus bears his name.
As honorary gala chairs, Christopher Sarofim, his three siblings and their partners helped raise an additional $2.376 million for the museum at Friday’s event, a record for the gala.
The evening included a preview of what’s to come: The selection of American art, European paintings and objects will be installed across MFAH gallery buildings, on view indefinitely.
The Sarofim collection represents “a quantum leap” for the MFAH’s display of American 19th and 20th century art, Tinterow said.
“In one fell swoop we can show the breadth of (John Singer) Sargent’s career and exhibit great 19th century masters like (Winslow) Homer, (Mary) Cassatt, (William Merritt) Chase and (Childe) Hassam in full. Then for the early 20th century, (Robert) Henri, (George) Bellows and (Edward) Hopper are simply superb.”
Over the weekend, paintings by Hassam, Hopper and Sargent hung among other works in Cullinan Hall. A survey of more modern works by Robert Rauschenberg, Ellsworth Kelly and Willem de Kooning shared a contemporary space.
Beginning in January, pieces from the collection will move into their museum homes. “Egyptian art will be placed with Egyptian art, and the same will go for Indigenous art and European paintings,” Tinterow said. “It will require, to our great delight, a complete reinstallation of our late 19th and early 20th century art galleries to accommodate everything.”
The relationship between MFAH and Fayez Sarofim began around 1958, when Fayez Sarofim & Co. was founded and Cullinan Hall first opened its doors. Christopher Sarofim remembers walking from his childhood home a few blocks away to visit the new space as a boy.
Fayez Sarofim’s first major art purchases were likely two paintings by Hassam and William Anzalone; each sold by gallery owner Meredith Long for $300. Christopher Sarofim pointed out that the Anzalone held its value at $300, while the Hassam appreciated 10fold, at which point his father parted with the piece — a move he later regretted.
“After that, he sold almost nothing,” Tinterow said.
“It was a painful experience of not getting to live with that beautiful piece of art either,” Christopher Sarofim added. “But it helped him develop his investment approach and earned him a reputation of being a long-term investor.”
At one time, Fayez Sarofim was the wealthiest man in Houston; Sarofim & Co. is now one of the largest privately held investment firms in the country, maintaining a large share of MFAH’s endowment.
Fayez Sarofim died without leaving clear guidance for the ultimate disposition of his art collection. So Christopher Sarofim approached MFAH chief development officer Amy Purvis to explore options, arriving at the long-term loan agreement.
The Grand Gala Ball celebrated that arrangement, Purvis said. The thousands of peach flowers adorning the hall reflected Fayez Sarofim’s favorite color. The menu and music selection were also in his honor.
“Those things were important to Daddy,” Christopher Sarofim said. “He loved watching young people dance and seeing great art on the wall.”