GAMBIER, OH.- The Gund at Kenyon College announced a promised gift that consists of 72 works by long-time supporters David Horvitz and Francie Bishop-Good. The gift includes works by contemporary artists, notably Sophie Calle, Vija Celmins, Ann Hamilton, Julie Mehretu, Lorna Simpson, and Mickalene Thomas. With 63 of the 72 works by women artists, the gift makes a strong statement for the creative practices of women, and solidifies The Gund’s commitment to showcasing more nuanced historical narratives of modern and contemporary art history.

“Francie and David have been remarkable supporters of The Gund and Kenyon College, long before my arrival in 2021,” says Daisy Desrosiers, David and Francie Horvitz Family Foundation Director and Chief Curator of The Gund. “Their generosity affirms a commitment not only to our museum but to the ongoing care that will sustain it for future generations. I have always felt that their collection speaks powerfully to the contemporary lives of women. By entrusting it to The Gund, they are helping us imagine and shape the museum of tomorrow—one that carries the responsibility to tell richer, more expansive art histories, to open perspectives, and to deepen our collective engagement with the world through art.”

Established in 2011, The Gund has a permanent collection of almost 500 works, all acquired or received between 2015 and 2025. The collection includes 20th and 21st-century paintings, sculpture, photography, mixed media, and public art. This gift is transformational to The Gund’s permanent collection, not only in scope but also in terms of equity. With the inclusion of these new works, 46% of the artists in The Gund’s permanent collection will be women, inspiring an updated understanding of the art historical canon and offering greater insight into the unique challenges and opportunities faced by artists working today. In addition to the 72 promised works, Mr. Horvitz and Mrs. Bishop-Good have secured the stewardship of the collection with an additional $1,000,000 Collections Stewardship Endowment. The first of its kind at The Gund, the promised gift and the endowment will work together as part of a two-step system to sustain the care, conservation, and access to The Gund’s permanent collection in perpetuity.

“We love Daisy and the work that she is doing at The Gund,” add David Horvitz and Francie Bishop-Good. “It was always our intention to donate the bulk of our collection and we wanted to find a place where the works would be shared. We especially love the teaching aspect of The Gund, and how our gift will help Kenyon students and its community learn from a canon mainly driven by women artists. Our hope is that by also supporting the museum with the endowment, we can inspire future donors to actively reimagine ways in which they can provide a lasting impact on our beloved institutions and the works in their care.”

David Horvitz and Francie Bishop-Good have been involved with The Gund since its inception. Mr. Horvitz (Kenyon Class of 1974) served as Chair of the Kenyon College Board of Trustees when Graham Gund first proposed establishing the museum. Over the years, the couple has donated many seminal works to the museum, including Faith Ringgold’s Dancing at the Louvre (The French Collection Part 1: #1), 1991, an important quilt routinely taught in AP art history classes; Teresa Margolles’ La Esperanza, 2014, a large photographic c-print that examines social causes and consequences of unjust systems; Renee Stout’s A Vision I Can’t Forget, 1999; Romare Bearden’s Two Women with Child, 1973; Jacob Lawrence’s The Builders Family, 1993; multiple works by Pia Fries; and Alison Saar’s Discord, 2009. Mr. Horvitz and Mrs. Bishop-Good also endowed the position of Director and Chief Curator for which Ms. Desrosiers was the inaugural appointee in 2021.

“For many years, David and Francie have been unique and generous in their support of women artists,” adds artist Ann Hamilton. “With this gift they share their collection so that it might circulate, and be in conversation with other works at an institution where students and museum goers will have the opportunity to be a part of the dialogue and directly experience how works of art can animate an ongoing public life.”

Key pieces in the gift include Sophie Calle’s Untitled, 1983, a powerful photographic print of a sculpture of two grieving women; Vija Celmins’s Untitled (Ocean), 1972, a black and white lithograph of the ocean; Ann Hamilton’s, Green-Barred Woodpecker, 2021, a small print of three hummingbirds in a striking neon green; Julie Mehretu’s Rogue Ascension, 2002, a drawing on vellum; Lorna Simpson’s, Untitled (melancholy dame/carmen jones), 2001, 2001, two gelatin prints depicting headshots; and Mickalene Thomas’s, Remember Me, 2006, a large print of an African-American woman staring directly at the camera in front of her record collection.

Six works from the gift are currently on view in the exhibition, The Sum of Many Acts of Care, on view through December 13, 2025. Additional works will unfold in a series of upcoming exhibitions at The Gund and will be integrated into the permanent collection of the museum.