The Milton and Sheila Fine Collection Catalogue

The Milton and Sheila Fine Collection celebrates the Fines’ landmark gift of more than 100 works of painting, sculpture, photography, and time-based media. From the 1980s through the 2000s, in close conversation with Carnegie Museum of Art’s directors and curators, the Fines created Western Pennsylvania’s most significant and boldest private collection of contemporary art. What distinguishes their collection from others of its kind is the Fines’ enduring intention to donate it to the museum for all of us in the region and beyond to appreciate in perpetuity. Perhaps even more notably, Milton and Sheila Fine collected directly from the museum’s Carnegie Internationals, making their collection a living archive of the longest-running survey of international art in America.

The Fines leaned toward vanguard art that challenged tradition, acquiring works from some of today’s most prominent artists, such as Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, Gillian Wearing, and Mark Bradford. From private collection to public art museum, these artworks enter a new context where they will become an integral part of our shared experiences within the galleries of the museum that Milton and Sheila loved. This exhibition is a celebration of their generous gift, as well as a remembrance of Milton Fine, who passed away in 2019. We invite you to discover and explore the many histories and art practices that give powerful expression to the Fines’ 45-year relationship to art and the museum.

The exhibition is organized by Eric Crosby, Henry J. Heinz II Director, Carnegie Museum of Art, and Vice President, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, with Tiffany Sims, Margaret Powell Curatorial Fellow, and Cynthia Stucki, curatorial assistant for contemporary art and photography.