ALBANY, NY.- The New York State Museum opened a new exhibit featuring a selection of important New York State decorative and fine arts artifacts that were recently donated to the Museum by Peter Wunsch, President of the Wunsch Americana Foundation. Since 1969, the decorative and fine arts collections of the State Museum have been enhanced by generous donations by the Wunsch Americana Foundation under the direction of Eric Martin Wunsch.

The exhibit, Building a Collection: E. Martin Wunsch and His Passion for Collecting New York State Decorative Arts, is on display through March 5, 2014. The Museum’s Wunsch Collection consists of furniture, paintings, silver, ceramics and folk art crafted primarily between 1700 and 1900. The objects have labels indicating they were made by New York craftsmen or have a documented New York history. The Wunsch Collection illustrates changing stylistic trends in decorative arts and provides insight into how New Yorkers once lived.

“The Wunsch Collection is probably the most important collection of New York State furniture and decorative arts in the nation,” said State Museum Director Mark Schaming. “Donating to the Museum allowed Eric Martin Wunsch the opportunity to collect antiques and preserve them for the public to enjoy. The Board of Regents and the State Museum are grateful to the Wunsch family for helping us preserve this important collection for future generations.”

Eric Martin Wunsch passed away in March 2013 and his son, Peter, generously donated the remaining pieces that were on long-term loan to the Museum’s collections. In addition to the exhibit, the Museum is hosting a lecture series to honor the spirit of Wunsch and his life-long passion for collecting American decorative arts.