Meeting Information

I.

Calling of the Meeting to Order - Diane B. Wilsey, President

The regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco was held on Thursday, January 13, 2000, in the Board Room of the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Lincoln Park, San Francisco. A quorum was present that being one-third of the number of Trustees in office. The meeting was called to order at 3:08 p.m. by Mrs. Alfred S. Wilsey, President, who introduced and welcomed Robert P. Morrow III, a newly elected Trustee attending his first meeting.

President Wilsey presided; Mrs. Gough acted as Secretary.

II.

Calling of the Roll

The following Trustees were present:

Mrs. David P. Bancroft

Alvin H. Baum, Jr.

Alix Phillips Becker

Mrs. Philip E. Bowles III

T. Robert Burke

Belva Davis

Mrs. Ray Dolby, Vice President/Annual Support

Richard P. Essey

Richard H. Finn, Vice President/Finance

Morgan Flagg

Mrs. Lynn C. Fritz

Ms. Frankie Jacobs Gillette, Vice President/Civic Affairs

Mrs. Richard Goodyear

George Hecksher

J. Burgess Jamieson

Ann L. Johnson, M.D.

Stephen L. Johnson

Diane B. Lloyd-Butler, Vice President/Audience Development

Nion McEvoy

J. Alec Merriam, Vice President/Collections

Robert P. Morrow III

Michael E. O’Neill

Steven MacGregor Read, Vice President/Facilities

Mrs. Thomas P. Rohlen

II.

Calling of the Roll (continued)

The following Trustees were present:

Burl A. Toler, Sr.

Vivian Fei Tsen

Carlos Villa

Marshall I. Wais, Sr.

Mrs. Harry H. Wetzel

Mrs. Charles F. Willis

Mrs. Alfred S. Wilsey, President

On motion, duly seconded and carried unanimously, the following Trustees were excused:

Del M. Anderson

George McNear Bowles

Mrs. Barbara B. Carleton

Richard N. Goldman

Mrs. Nancy Hamon

Beverly James

Mrs. Peter McBean

Lorna F. Meyer

Michael W. Michelson

Josie Mooney

Waldemar Rojas

George B. Saxe

Dolores G. Terrazas

Sidney R. Unobskey

The following ex-officio Trustees were unable to be present:

Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr.

James Salinas, Sr., President, Recreation and Park Commission

Other Trustees in attendance were:

William Fries, II

Richard W. Goss II

David R. Hoyer

Mrs. Leonard E. Kingsley

Leonard E. Kingsley

II.

Calling of the Roll (continued)

Other Trustees in attendance were (continued):

Mrs. Lewis K. Land

Mrs. James K. McWilliams

Mrs. J. Alec Merriam

Mrs. John N. Rosekrans

Katharine Doyle Spann

William E. Steen

William A. Stimson

Mrs. Paul L. Wattis

Alfred S. Wilsey

Florence Sue Wong

Report of the President - Diane B. Wilsey

1. Consideration and Possible Action to Approve the Minutes of the December 9, 1999 Meeting of the Executive Committee

There being no discussion among the Trustees or members of the public, the minutes of the December 9, 1999 meeting of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, having been mailed in advance to all Trustees, were unanimously approved.

Trustee J. Alec Merriam, Chair of the Acquisitions Committee, presented the report of year-end gifts of works of art for 1999 attached to these minutes as Appendix I on page 2709. These gifts were accepted with sincere appreciation to each donor pursuant to Board Resolution 1326, which allowed the Director or his designee to accept approximately 300 objects as year-end gifts of works of art from donors during the period from November 19, 1999 (last Acquisitions Committee meeting), through December 31, 1999.

Chair Merriam discussed several of the year-end gifts: 1) an additional 10% partial interest in the Winslow Homer painting, Portrait of Albert Post, circa 1864, from Rollin K. and Diane Post; 2) four works of 17^th and 18^th century Chinese porcelain, and one work of 18^th century English porcelain, from Warren C. Wachs; 3) a portfolio of 19^th century Japanese photographs from Elaine Dines-Cox and Kris Cox; 4) eleven additional works from the Arion Press given by George Hellyer in honor of Ira Yeager; 5) fifty-five books illustrated by

Pablo Picasso, Spanish, 1881-1973, from the Reva and David Logan Foundation for the Reva and David Logan Collection of Artists Books; and 6) three Anatolian kilims, 18^th and 19^th century, from Caroline McCoy-Jones.

A number of year-end gifts on view at the meeting were presented by Tim Burgard, Curator of American Art; Dr. Lynn Orr, Curator of European Paintings; and Melissa Leventon, Curator of Textiles; respectively: 1) Mayacamas No. 6, March 12, 1963, 1963, from the estate of Chinese American artist Bernice Bing; 2) a major French painting, Pointer Approaching a Pheasant, 1740, by Jean-Baptiste Oudry, donated by Mrs. Phoebe Cowles to The Fine Arts Museums Foundation; 3) an extremely rare 16^th century Eastern Anatolian Carpet Fragment with Medallion Pattern given by Trustee George Hecksher; and 4) a Wedding Dress: Bodice and Skirt, 1874, donated by Deanna Vickers.

Three recent acquisitions were then discussed. Dr. Lynn Orr, Curator of European Paintings, reported that the Fine Arts Museums has purchased a major Dutch Mannerist painting, Adoration of Shepherds, ca. 1598-99, by Joachim Wtewael. This acquisition, which is one of the finest examples of a large-scale Wtewael in an American museum, is being cleaned and was not available for viewing at today’s meeting. It will be installed shortly at the Legion of Honor.

Robert Flynn Johnson, Curator of Prints and Drawings, noted that deaccession proceeds from last year’s sale of duplicate old master prints were used to purchase a Flemish baroque masterpiece by Christoffel Jegher, Hercules Fighting the Fury and the Discord, 17^th century. Mr. Johnson then presented Untitled (Two Figures), ca. 1947, by Willem de Kooning. He stated that this important American work of the postwar period is the most significant 20^th century drawing in the Prints and Drawings collection. It was acquired through the generosity of Trustee Emerita Mrs. Paul L. Wattis.

The Board of Trustees expressed sincere appreciation to all the donors with a round of applause.

1. Resignation of Waldemar Rojas from the Board of Trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Chair Nion McEvoy advised that Waldemar Rojas has moved to Dallas, Texas, where he has accepted the position of General Superintendent of the Dallas Independent

1. Resignation of Waldemar Rojas from the Board of Trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (continued)

School District. There was no discussion among the Trustees. There was no public testimony. On motion, duly seconded, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to regretfully accept the resignation of Waldemar Rojas from the Board of Trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

2. Reaffirmation of Policy that Re-election of Trustees to Second and Third Terms and to Trustee Emeritus Status Will be Based on Demonstrated Dedication to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Chair McEvoy reported that at its recent meeting the Nominating Committee reaffirmed the policy that re-election of Trustees to second and third terms and to Trustee Emeritus status will be based on demonstrated dedication to the Museums.

President Wilsey reported that the planning continues to move forward. Harry S. Parker III, Director of Museums, and Deborah Frieden, de Young Project Director, will travel to Basel, Switzerland next week to meet with the architects.

President Wilsey read the following resolution:

WHEREAS, The building of a new de Young Museum to correct the serious

seismic and other facility deficiencies is essential to protect the safety of the City’s

valuable art collection, visitors, and staff; and

WHEREAS, A new de Young Museum building project is necessary to reverse the economic decline of the Museum because its seismic condition no longer permits major exhibitions and to continue to provide community services, including its vital education programs; and

WHEREAS, The Board of Trustees at its meeting on October 15, 1998 recognized that building a new de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park is of the highest priority in order to protect the collections, visitors and staff from seismic hazards; and

WHEREAS, At its October 14, 1999 meeting, the Board of Trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (1) endorsed the Herzog & de Meuron Architekten AG conceptual plan to build a new de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park; and (2) authorized the Corporation of The Fine Arts Museums to proceed with the further development of the architectural plan as the Board’s highest priority; and

WHEREAS, A new de Young project schedule recommended by the Ad Hoc Conceptual Planning Committee was presented to the Executive Committee on December 9, 1999, which identified milestones leading to the opening of a new de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park in 2005; and

WHEREAS, The environmental review and planning process is underway to provide information on the de Young Museum construction project; and

WHEREAS, Consultation with the officers of the Asian Art Museum has confirmed their plan to close operations in Golden Gate Park in 2001 and then move to the renovated Old Main Library building in the Civic Center in 2002 permitting the construction of the new de Young to begin; and

WHEREAS, It is expected that the current staff will be required: (1) to expand operations at the Legion of Honor once the old de Young Museum closes; (2) to continue the Museums’ programs of educational outreach; (3) to organize travelling exhibitions of the de Young’s collections nationally and internationally during the closure period; (4) to continue documenting, protecting, and conserving the Museums’ permanent collections; and (5) to plan and carry out the installation of the new de Young Museum; and

WHEREAS, The Executive Committee on December 9, 1999 recommended to the Board of Trustees at its January 13, 2000 meeting that the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum be closed to the public on December 31, 2000 in order for it to be vacated, so that hazardous material can be removed, followed by an anticipated construction project; and

WHEREAS, The Executive Committee further recommended to the Board of Trustees that every effort be made to retain all current City and COFAM employees throughout the difficult period from the closing of the old building to re-opening the museum; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Board of Trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of

San Francisco does hereby authorize that the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum be closed to the public on December 31, 2000 in order for it to be vacated, so that hazardous material can be removed, followed by an anticipated construction project; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That every effort be made to retain all current City and COFAM employees throughout the difficult period from the closing of the old building to re-opening the museum.

On motion, duly seconded, discussion ensued among the Trustees. In response to a question raised by Trustee Mrs. Richard Goodyear, Mr. Parker advised that earlier in the planning process, the Asian Art Museum (AAM) building was being considered for use as a temporary de Young facility during the construction of the new Museum. However, several months ago, it was concluded that the increased cost of delaying construction until the AAM moved to the renovated Old Main Library building in the Civic Center in 2002 was prohibitive, and the option of temporarily utilizing the AAM building was no longer practical.

There was no further discussion among Trustees or Trustees Emeriti. There was no public testimony. The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to adopt the above resolution as Board Resolution 1331.

President Wilsey read the following resolution:

WHEREAS, The execution of the Fine Arts Museums’ Facilities Master Plan calls upon the generosity and public spiritedness of individuals to achieve the ambitious goals adopted; and

WHEREAS, The Board of Trustees of the Fine Arts Museums adopted a Donor Recognition Policy that permits the naming of galleries by donors who have requested such naming opportunities; and

WHEREAS, At its December 9, 1999 meeting, the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees established that major gifts in accordance with the Fine Arts Museums’ Donor Recognition Policy to the New de Young Capital Campaign will be eligible for naming opportunities at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Board of Trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco does hereby name Gallery 13 in the California Palace of the Legion of Honor "The Marianne and Richard H. Peterson Gallery" at their request and in recognition of Mr. and Mrs. Peterson’s generous gift.

There was no discussion among Trustees or Trustees Emeriti. There was no public testimony. The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to adopt the above resolution as Board Resolution 1332 with sincere appreciation to Mr. and Mrs. Peterson for their extraordinary generosity.

IV.

Director’s Report - Harry S. Parker III

Mr. Parker presented the following loan request:

From: The National Academy of Design, New York City

For: Rave Reviews! 100 Years of Great American Art

National Academy of Design, New York, NY: 09/01/2000-12/01/2000

Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK: 01/00/2001-03/00/2001

Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN: 04/00/2001-06/00/2001

Winslow Homer, American, 1836-1910

The Bright Side, 1865

Oil on canvas, 12 3/4 x 17 (32.4 x 43.2 cm)

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John D.

Rockefeller 3^rd

Stipulations: The painting will be accompanied by a FAMSF courier to New York City and return from Indianapolis to San Francisco. All related expenses will be paid by the requesting organization.

A motion was made and seconded to approve the loan noted above. There was no discussion among Trustees or members of the public. The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve the loan subject to the conditions stated.

Mr. Parker noted his appended memorandum, which identifies strategies for maintaining the de Young Museum’s presence and programs during the period of closure. He emphasized that the closure of the de Young is an opportunity, not only to rebuild, but to pursue a number of projects facilitated by the suspension of regular operations for a period of time, such as: 1) touring the de Young’s major collections internationally; ) organizing smaller exhibitions and loans with and to Bay Area institutions; 3) implementing a temporary storefront de Young, which features the Museums’ core educational services for teachers and students; and 4) maximizing operations at the Legion, such as expanding the Florence Gould Theater programs and perhaps increasing the hours the Legion is open to the public.

Mr. Parker reported that representatives of the Palazzo Pitti in Florence have expressed interest in an international touring exhibition of Masterpieces of American Painting and are considering the possibility of sending a major Italian mannerism exhibition to San Francisco when the new de Young opens. The organization of smaller exhibitions and loans of the de Young collections will be explored with the Oakland Museum, the International Terminal at SFO, San Jose Museum of Art, Stanford University Museum of Art, the Crocker Museum in Sacramento, City Hall, public libraries, and other regional institutions.

Unlike other single-site museums which have undergone construction, the Fine Arts Museums are fortunate to have two sites and to be able to maximize operations at the Legion of Honor as much as possible during the construction of the new de Young. Mr. Parker stated that every effort will be made to retain current staff, who will be required to expand operations at the Legion of Honor; to continue education outreach programs; to organize travelling exhibitions of the de Young’s collections; to continue documenting and analyzing the collections, in particular the Textiles collection and the Africa, Oceania and the Americas collection; and to continue protecting and conserving the collections.

Vas Prabhu, Director of Education, then discussed education program plans during the period of construction for a new de Young. Efforts would be directed at: 1) increasing education programs and activities at the Legion of Honor; 2) collaborating with organizations at off site locations; and 3) identifying space to create an education center near the de Young Museum. The proposed education center would include teacher and parent resources, artists at work, and workshop space. The 1999-2000 Education Program Brochure and a pamphlet describing slide sets of selected works from the Museums’ collection were distributed to the Trustees. Funding for the slide sets project was made possible through the McNeil Volunteer Recognition Award Program and Trustee Mrs. David Bancroft, one of the first recipients of the award.

Mr. Parker noted that a draft marketing plan, which focuses on maintaining a viable de Young presence during the period of closure, was presented to the Audience Development and Marketing Committee at its noon meeting today. It is anticipated that the proposed marketing plan will be presented to the Board of Trustees at its next meeting on April 13, 2000.

On November 10, 1999, the FBI informed the Museums of the recovery of three Dutch Old Master paintings stolen from the de Young Museum on December 24, 1978. The paintings, Portrait of a Rabbi, attributed to Rembrandt, Anthonie de Lorme’s Interior of the Church of Saint Lawrence, Rotterdam, and River Scene at Night (Harbor Scene) by Aert van der Neer, were left at the William Doyle Galleries in New York City. Alan Fausel, Vice President of Paintings and Drawings at the Doyle Galleries and former Fine Arts Museums curator, recognized the paintings and immediately notified the Director of Museums.

Lynn Orr, Curator of European Paintings, examined the paintings in New York City and confirmed their identities. The paintings, however, were substantially damaged during the last two decades most likely due to adverse storage conditions. She advised that before the theft, as early as 1968, leading Rembrandt scholars voiced concerns about the authenticity of Portrait of a Rabbi and whether it was actually a work by a Rembrandt follower. The paintings may be released by the FBI for return to the Fine Arts Museums in late January 2000.

Mr. Parker reported that the Acquisitions and Executive Committees have expressed support for exhibiting the damaged paintings. Both Committees recognized the educational value of displaying works of art not properly cared for over time as a means of acquainting the public with issues of conservation, attribution, and security.

Mr. Parker stated that the theft of these paintings resulted in increased security measures, which led to City budget funding of art insurance.

Preparation of the Fiscal Year 2000-2001 budget is underway. Again, it will be critically important to receive additional City funding to offset the projected FY 2000-2001 COFAM operating deficit projection associated with decreased de Young revenues due to the loss of federal indemnification, which ended international art exhibitions until a new Museum is built. Last year, the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors approved $596,000 in additional funding to help balance the COFAM

operating budget.

Mr. Parker introduced the following resolution:

RESOLVED, That the Board of Trustees of the Fine Arts Museums does hereby authorize the Board President and the Director of Museums to sign and submit the Fiscal Year 2000-2001 City Budget request for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

On motion, duly seconded, there was no discussion among Trustees or Trustees Emeriti. There was no public testimony. The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to adopt the above resolution as Board Resolution 1333.

Tim Burgard, Curator of American Art, discussed Georgia O’Keeffe: The Poetry of Things, which opens at the Legion of Honor on February 19^th and runs through May 15^th. The exhibition of 54 works spans the period from 1908 to 1963, and explores O’Keeffe’s emotional, spiritual, and aesthetic relationships with the objects she chose to paint. In 1915 O’Keeffe divided her work into two categories, "landscapes" and "things." O’Keeffe’s "things" have a decidedly organic nature and veer toward the abstract rather than the representational. Flowers, leaves, bones, shells, and fruit are among the objects explored by the artist in these works. Twenty-six photographs including six by Alfred Stieglitz, whom O’Keeffe married in 1924, are part of the exhibition.

A report on a unique joint venture between French and American museums was presented by Kathe Hodgson, Director of Exhibitions. Nine French and nine American regional museums have joined forces to exchange masterpieces, develop cooperative exhibitions, and share technology, marketing and fund-raising expertise. Ms. Hodgson

attended an October 1999 conference of participating museums in Lyons, which was

organized by Elizabeth Rohatyn, wife of the United States Ambassador to France,

and Françoise Cachin, Director of the French Museums. The French fine arts museums in the program are those of Bordeaux, Grenoble, Lille, Lyons, Montpellier, Rennes, Rouen, Stranbourg and Toulouse. American museum participants are the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Portland Art Museum in Oregon, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, the St. Louis Art Museum, the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA, the Yale University Art Gallery and Yale Center for British Art, and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Collaborative efforts are well underway; a second conference will be held next fall in St. Louis.

V.

Members of the public may address the Board of Trustees on items not on the agenda that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Speakers may address the Board for up to three minutes; the President or the Board of Trustees may limit the total comment to thirty minutes.

VI.

Meeting Schedule

Date Time Location

February 10, 2000 Noon 233 Post Street, SF (subsequently canceled)

March 9, 2000 Noon 233 Post Street, SF

May 11, 2000 Noon 233 Post Street, SF

September 14, 2000 Noon 233 Post Street, SF

November 9, 2000 Noon 233 Post Street, SF

December 14, 2000 Noon 233 Post Street, SF

Date Time Location

April 13, 2000 3 p.m. Gallery 23, de Young Museum

June 8, 2000 3 p.m. Board Room, Legion of Honor

October 12, 2000 3 p.m. Gallery 23, de Young Museum

Date Event

February 17, 2000 Opening Event - Georgia O’Keeffe: The Poetry of

March 13-17, 2000 Bouquets to Art

March 18-22, 2000 Museum Associates Trip to Santa Fe

May 2-10, 2000 Museum Associates Trip to Basel

May 9-14, 2000 Youth Arts Festival

May 18, 2000 Opening Event - 2000 BC: The Bruce Conner Story

June 8, 2000 Opening Event - Wayne Thiebaud: A Paintings

*Exhibitions organized by FAMSF

Title Date Museum/Gallery

Gallery One - Exhibition for Children Ongoing de Young Gallery One

Artists Studio* Ongoing de Young 5

Costume from the Hecksher Collection* 08/14/99-02/20/00 de Young 22

Anderson: Richard Diebenkorn’s 41 09/25/99-01/23/00 Legion A

Etchings Drypoints*

A New de Young in Golden Gate Park: 10/14/99-TBA de Young 36/37

Concept Plan by Herzog and de Meuron*

Two Major Acquisitions for a New 10/14/99-02/05/00 de Young 27

de Young

Abstraction in Artists’ Books from the 10/23/99-02/20/00 Legion L

Permanent Collection*

Narratives of African American Art and 11/13/99-02/13/00 de Young 44c

Identity: The David C. Driskell Collection

Museum Pieces: Bay Area Artists 11/20/99-03/12/00 de Young 41/44a, b

Consider the de Young*

Between the Black Desert and the Red: 12/18/99-06/25/00 de Young 29-30/27

Turkman Carpets from The Wiedersperg

Collection*

Anderson: Legendary Lithography: 02/05/00-05/28/00 Legion F

Prints from ULAE*

Georgia O’Keeffe: The Poetry of 02/19/00-05/14/00 Legion A-D &

of Things Rosekrans

Wedding Dresses from the Permanent 03/04/00-08/26/00 de Young 22

Collection*

Bouquets to Art 03/14/00-03/17/00 Legion

Leonard Baskin 05/06/00-09/10/00 de Young 36/37

Youth Arts Festival 05/09/00-05/14/00 de Young 27, Hearst

2000 BC: The Bruce Conner Story 05/21/00-07/30/00 de Young 44

Part II

Wayne Thiebaud: A Paintings 06/10/00-09/03/00 Legion A-F &

Retrospective* Rosekrans

The Kingdoms of Edward Hicks 09/24/00-01/07/01 de Young 44 A-B

Anderson Collection of Graphic Arts* 10/07/00-12/31/00 Legion A-F

VII.

There being no further business, President Wilsey adjourned the meeting at 4:10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Judy Gough

Executive Secretary

Note: These minutes set forth all actions taken up by the Board of Trustees on matters stated, but not necessarily in the order in which the matters were considered.

Immediately following this meeting, the Corporation of The Fine Arts Museums helds its regular Board meeting.

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