Over the course of four decades, New Yorkers Terese and Alvin S. Lane carefully assembled a collection of sculptural works dating from 1915 through the mid-1980s, with many of the most important artists of the period represented. The couple added depth to the collection by acquiring related works on paper, often working closely with the artists to do so. When viewed together, the three-dimensional pieces and preparatory drawings provide insight into the creative process. The Lanes lived with their collection, keeping it on display in their home.
This major collection, first exhibited at the Chazen in 1995, was donated to the museum last fall and will fill several galleries in the expansion. Alvin Lane was a UW–Madison alumni and long-time supporter of the museum. It is an honor to make the Lane Collection accessible to the university, the city, and the state.
“A prominent New York City attorney and his wife have bequeathed a major private collection of 20th-century sculpture to the Chazen Museum of Art at UW–Madison, a gift valued at $30 million, museum officials announced Monday.” Wisconsin State Journal, Doug Erickson, October 25, 2010. Full story.