Unpacking artwork at the Anderson Collection at Stanford University.

Opening this month!

It’s September – and students are packing up their belongings to come to Stanford for the new school year.

The Anderson Collection at Stanford University has been packing as well – crating 121 exemplary works of modern and contemporary art and moving them from the Andersons’ private collection to their new home in Stanford’s arts district. The team has been working hard all summer long receiving and installing the works – by Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Wayne Thiebaud, Agnes Martin, and 82 other American artists. In addition to these monumental works, the Anderson Collection at Stanford University will open with an installation of photographic portraits of artists in the collection, made by Leo Holub, who founded Stanford’s photography program in the 1960s. Welcoming these incredible works to campus is an amazing moment in our Arts Initiative and the excitement is mounting.

The Anderson Collection at Stanford University will open to members on Saturday, September 20 and to the public on Sunday, September 21. Become a member by joining the new joint membership program between the Cantor and the Anderson Collection. Or reserve your (free) ticket and come out and celebrate the grand opening on September 21, complete with food trucks and live music. Reserve in advance to be sure of a spot: only a limited number of walk-up tickets will be available at the door.

This is a monumental occasion. The Anderson Collection will be an amazing new offering for the community and will also be an important research and teaching resource for our faculty and students. Campus engagement with the new collection will include classes studying the artworks, dance pieces inspired by them, a scholarly conference of internationally renowned art historians, as well as numerous lectures and films organized in response to the work. In addition, the Cantor Arts Center is featuring Pop Art from the Anderson Collection at SFMOMA. And Stanford Live is planning a joint event for faculty, staff and the broader community featuring tours of the collection and an open house at Bing Concert Hall with jazz music from the era.

As most of you know, the collection is a gift from the Andersons – Harry W. (Hunk) and Mary Margaret (Moo) Anderson and Mary Patricia (Putter) Anderson Pence, the Bay Area family who built the collection over the last 50 years. Hunk, Moo, Putter, and Putter’s daughter Devin have overseen the packing, moving, and unpacking of the work all summer long. We cannot express our gratitude to them for the generosity of this gift and for the care and attention they have taken to ensure that each work, the collection as a whole, and the vision and enthusiasm with which they have assembled it – all arrive intact at Stanford, enriching our campus immeasurably.

Visit the Anderson Collection at Stanford University and experience it for yourself.