Front Room: The Mary and Paul Roberts Collection

The BMA is incredibly grateful for the generosity of dedicated supporters Paul Roberts and his late wife Mary, who passed away in November of 2018.

The Roberts recently gave 35 exceptional works on paper to the Museum, drawn from their superb collection of Contemporary art. The Roberts’ most recent gift follows their decades-long support of the BMA. Paul and Mary were longstanding members of the Museum’s Friends of Modern and Contemporary Art and Paul served on the Board of Trustees from 2006–2011, and continues to serve on the Contemporary Accessions Committee. Their extraordinary gift reflects the Roberts’ eye for selecting works with exquisitely rendered geometries, as well as expressive, exuberant compositions. Many of the most significant American artists of the mid- to late-20th century are represented, including Ellsworth Kelly, Richard Diebenkorn, Jasper Johns, Donald Judd, Sol LeWitt, Glenn Ligon, Agnes Martin, Elizabeth Murray, Barnett Newman, and Martin Puryear. The collection also reaches from Mexico to Germany with artists Gabriel Orozco and A. R. Penck.

The Museum is honored to be the recipient of the Roberts’ gift, as well as memorial donations in honor of Mary. The Roberts’ generosity and deeply thoughtful approach to collecting has impacted and will continue to impact many generations of BMA visitors.