About DeCordova
Julian de Cordova
The DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park is located on the former estate of Julian de Cordova (1851-1945). The self-educated son of a Jamaican merchant, Julian de Cordova became a successful tea broker, wholesale merchant, investor, and president of a glass company in Somerville, Massachusetts. Although he married into the locally prominent Dana family of Boston, de Cordova achieved prosperity without the advantages of inheritance or social position.
Travel and art were his passions, and de Cordova once wrote that he collected "everything that took [his] fancy in every country of the world." In an era before airplanes and automobiles, Julian and his wife, Elizabeth, were hardy tourists who traversed the globe several times. Inspired by his trips to Spain and his own Spanish heritage, Julian remodeled his summer home in Lincoln, Massachusetts in 1910 to resemble a European castle. His exposure to visual arts abroad also influenced his management of the Union Glass Company, which under his stewardship produced ornamental glass to rival the quality of his European competitors.
For de Cordova, the visual arts served as a medium for self-improvement and enlightenment. In his later years, he opened the doors of his estate to share the wonders he had collected during seven decades of world travel. De Cordova envisioned a place where art would continue to educate and excite beyond his lifetime. To meet that end, he gave his property to the town of Lincoln in 1930 with the stipulation that his estate would become a public museum of art following his death.
De Cordova's will established a committee of incorporation, whose duties included formulating the policy, objectives, and supervision of the new museum with the guidance of professionals in the field, such as the Director of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (MFA). Independent appraisers determined that de Cordova's collections were not of substantial interest or value, so the original Trustees determined to honor his intent by creating a museum of regional contemporary art.
The Trustees reached this innovative decision after they noticed the near absence of modern art exhibitions in the Boston area and the lack of venues for works by regional contemporary artists. When it officially opened in 1950, the DeCordova Museum became the only museum to focus its exhibitions and collecting activities on living New England artists, while adopting a broad educational program in the visual arts. Architect John Quincy Adams designed the extensive renovations that transformed the de Cordova mansion into a public museum.
DeCordova's Mission Statement
The DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park is a public museum of art established to educate as broad and diverse a public as possible about modern and contemporary American art. The Museum accomplishes this mission by focusing primarily, though not exclusively, on the art of the New England region.
DeCordova educates through exhibitions, collections, classes, outreach programs, and a full schedule of activities designed to enhance our public’s engagement with art and artists.
DeCordova is a member-supported, 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit organization incorporated in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts , which receives funding support from federal and state cultural agencies, private and corporate foundations, and individuals.
DeCordova's Early Years
The Trustees picked MFA School of Art graduate Frederick P. Walkey to lead the institution as its founding director, and he aggressively organized an exhibition schedule and arts instruction program with a clear educational mandate. The Museum established a reputation for ground-breaking exhibitions that introduced New England audiences to important trends within contemporary art both regionally and nationally, including Pop Art and Boston's post-war expressionist movement. DeCordova has been accredited by the American Association of Museums since 1974
As visitors roamed the galleries below, the Museum's third floor buzzed with studio art classes. The School attracted hundreds of students, eventually overwhelming the limited space within the Museum. In 1966, DeCordova constructed a complex of four studio buildings to accommodate an expanded educational program and to meet the equipment and instructional needs of a professional studio art curriculum. In the early 1980s, the Museum consolidated and renovated two existing buildings to form administrative offices for the Museum School and its outreach programs.
DeCordova Today
DeCordova's emphasis upon modern and contemporary art fueled its rapid popularity during the 1950s and 1960s, but by the 1980s, the Museum faced competition from a growing number of local museums, universities, and private galleries that shared a similar artistic mission. With the arrival of its former director, Paul Master-Karnik in 1984, DeCordova initiated a series of curatorial programs to further strengthen its commitment to New England contemporary artists. The DeCordova Annual Exhibition (formerly titled Artist/Visions) series features works by up and coming new artists and provides an annual snapshot of regional talent. At the same time, the Media Space @ DeCordova highlights local video artists.
In addition to these activities, DeCordova augmented its position as the region's foremost presenter of modern and contemporary American sculpture by adopting an ambitious program of expansion and continuous renewal. DeCordova currently offers the only permanent public sculpture park in New England. Close to 80 modern and contemporary works grace the 35-acre site. The Museum’s Sculpture Terrace serves as an open air gallery for exhibitions by nationally recognized sculptors.
DeCordova plays a critical role in preserving today's regional art for future generations. With over 3000 works in its holdings, the Museum features an important Permanent Collection of New England contemporary art. In 1995, it established a $1.3 million Art Acquisition Fund.
For over five decades, the DeCordova Museum has expanded and adapted to meet the changing educational needs of its diverse constituents. In 1998, DeCordova completed The New Century Campaign for DeCordova, a $8 million effort to upgrade its aging physical plant. The Museum modernized and expanded its educational facilities, including the construction of a new studio, a store, and a gallery dedicated to exhibitions by Museum School instructors and students. DeCordova extensively renovated its main galleries, adding climate control, a café, and a library. All of the Museum's buildings now comply with ADA standards. DeCordova also expanded its exhibition space by building a 20,000 square foot addition, which includes a Sculpture Roof Terrace that provides breath-taking views of the Park. This new wing completes the facilities master plan that was designed by architects Kallmann McKinnell & Wood of Boston, who also designed the School Gallery building and the renovated Museum main galleries
On October 10, 2000, the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park celebrated its 50th Anniversary. This event was significant not only for DeCordova but also for the entire New England art community as well. Now, DeCordova is the largest museum of modern and contemporary American art in the region. DeCordova continues to pursue the same unique mission as it did at its founding: the Museum is dedicated to the exhibition, collection, and preservation of works by living New England artists. Distinctive for being the only one of its kind in the region, DeCordova’s public Sculpture Park has also become internationally recognized for its programming. The Museum School features the largest non-degree granting studio art program in the state, along with providing many beneficial interpretive and outreach activities both on-site and to regional schools. A visit to DeCordova will be both enjoyable and educational. Whether you want to view our many interior exhibitions, wander through the Sculpture Park, participate in a class at the Museum School, enjoy lunch, or purchase art supplies, DeCordova will excite and inspire you.
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