Pfeiffer Family Visit

It all started with a prized stamp collection...

In the early 1940s, businessman and U of A graduate Charles Leonard Pfeiffer sold his prized stamp collection to establish an art collection here at the university. Enacting what he called the “Arizona Plan,” he aspired to donate 100 artworks in one year so that they could be seen and studied by students, faculty and the general public alike in a region lacking “great museums.” He hoped this gift would stimulate similar donations to other universities.

"I wish that all men with the love of art in their souls would take these words to heart: Help build collections in every corner of our land.” – C. Leonard Pfeiffer

Pfeiffer’s goal was realized. The gift generated interest in art in Arizona and an increased rate of acquisitions at institutions throughout the state. He was also motivated to help living artists, maintaining a personal interest in each, as well as to promote the significance of American art as a whole. He viewed this effort as “an explicit democratic response to fascism and totalitarianism.”

In 1943, the paintings were loaned to the Museum of Modern Art for an exhibition titled Contemporary American Paintings from the Collection of the University of Arizona. The forward in the exhibition catalogue read: “This collection is being formed at a time when our nation is engaged in a great struggle for the maintenance of the ideal of the Founders. Difficult days lie ahead. In this serious crisis facing artistic efforts, may this collection contribute to the preservation of the cultural and creative spirit of our beloved country.”

More than eighty years later, the works that Pfeiffer donated form the foundation of the UAMA permanent collection and reflect the development of modern American painting. They include Edward Hopper’s The City, Jacob Lawrence’s Diners, and Isabel Bishop’s Nude. We were thrilled to share a selection of those works with Pfeiffer's family during their visit to the museum this month.