The Nelson-Atkins Mourns the Loss of Fred Merrill
Kansas City, MO. Oct 21, 2015
Steadfast, Generous Supporter of American Indian Art
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art joins the Kansas City community in mourning the loss of Fred Leon Merrill, who died Oct 21. Merrill, along with his wife of 67 years, Virginia, was a longtime and steadfast supporter of the Nelson-Atkins, as well as a former Trustee.
“We are deeply saddened by the news of Fred’s passing,” said Shirley Bush Helzberg, Chair of the Nelson-Atkins Board of Trustees. “He and Virginia made an enormous impact on the museum and the entire community. We will miss his stewardship.”
In 2002, Fred and Virginia Merrill endowed a curatorship at the Nelson-Atkins, and a department of American Indian art was established. Gaylord Torrence, a nationally recognized scholar of Native North American art history, assumed the new post in January of that year.
“Fred gave unwavering support to the Nelson-Atkins for many years, and as a result, our American Indian collection has risen to international recognition,” said Julián Zugazagoitia, Menefee D. and Mary Louise Blackwell CEO & Director of the Nelson-Atkins. “When the museum established the Fred and Virginia Merrill Curator of American Art, it became one of few encyclopedic museums with a curatorship devoted exclusively to North American Indian Art.”
Torrence, a nationally recognized authority in the field of American Indian art, was equally saddened by the news.
“Fred Merrill’s characteristic modesty would have kept him from admitting that his vision and generosity underlie the presence of American Indian art at the Nelson-Atkins,” said Torrence. “Nonetheless, Fred’s leadership and support led to the establishment of the department, and he and Virginia have been behind every major initiative – the new galleries of American Indian art, the international exhibition The Plains Indians: Artists of Earth and Sky, and the forthcoming catalogue of the museum’s American Indian collection. Kansas City is far richer for Fred’s time here. He was a great friend.”
An active participant in the life of Kansas City, Merrill was a Trustee of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the American Royal. He was elder and past chairman of Country Club Christian Church. He also was founder and chairman of Mission Hills Bank and served on the board of Fourth Financial Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. He also served on the board of the Kansas Nature Conservancy.
A memorial service is schedule Oct 23 at Country Club Christian Church.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The Nelson-Atkins in Kansas City is recognized nationally and internationally as one of America’s finest art museums. The Nelson-Atkins serves the community by providing access and insight into its renowned collection of more than 35,000 art objects and is best known for its Asian art, European and American paintings, photography, modern sculpture, and new American Indian and Egyptian galleries. Housing a major art research library and the Ford Learning Center, the Museum is a key educational resource for the region. The institution-wide transformation of the Nelson-Atkins has included the 165,000-square-foot Bloch Building expansion and renovation of the original 1933 Nelson-Atkins Building.
The Nelson-Atkins is located at 45th and Oak Streets, Kansas City, MO. Hours are Wednesday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Thursday/Friday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission to the museum is free to everyone. For museum information, phone 816.751.1ART (1278) or visit nelson-atkins.org/.