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Weisman Museum Presents “Celebrating Two Decades: The Peggy and Eric Lieber Collection”
The Weisman Museum recently received the donation of a collection of contemporary art from the estate of Peggy and Eric Lieber. Over 30 works of art, focusing on contemporary American works, will be on display from Saturday, May 11, to Sunday, Aug. 4. This new gift adds to previous gifts of over a dozen works donated by the Liebers beginning in 2001.
Their gifts totaling almost 50 works comprise the largest donation of art ever received by the museum.Highlights of the Lieber collection include key works by renowned California artists such as Llyn Foulkes, Tim Hawkinson, David Hockney, Ed Kienholz, Michael C. McMillen, Gwynn Murrill, John Register, Peter Shelton, and the late Mike Kelly. The collection is strong in Post-Minimalism, Process, and Assemblage Art, but it also includes examples of Pop Art.
“This donation adds significant depth to our holdings of contemporary art,” says Michael Zakian, Weisman Museum director. “Eric Lieber had studied art before entering a career in television and was always drawn to works that reveal the artist’s creative process. This interest in unconventional methods and materials shaped the works he collected.”
Besides the California component, the collection is also strong in work by American artists, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Deborah Butterfield, Chuck Close, Nathan Oliveira, Larry Rivers, Andres Serrano, and Sean Scully.
The Liebers enjoyed long careers as television producers. Eric Lieber created and executive-produced TV’s long-running dating show “Love Connection.” He also produced the Dick Cavett, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Mike Douglas talk shows, three Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association telethons, and the television coverage for the 1976 Democratic National Convention. Peggy Lieber specialized in working with musicians and produced television specials for Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, and Herb Alpert. Eric Lieber died in 2008, and Peggy Lieber died in 2012. The Weisman Museum takes great pride in fulfilling their wishes by sharing their collection with the public.