DAVENPORT, Iowa — Visitors of the Figge Art Museum will soon have nearly four dozen new works of art to enjoy.
On Tuesday, June 11, museum officials announced that Dr. Randy and Linda Lewis of Davenport are donating 44 pieces of modern and contemporary American art to the museum. The collection is valued at approximately $14 million. The works will be displayed in the new Linda and J. Randolph Lewis Wing, which will be opened later in the summer. The wing will be housed on the second floor of the museum, in the former home of the permanent collection galleries.
According to a press release announcing the donation, the Lewises have been collecting art for 50 years. They said they hope the donation will inspire other collectors to find ways to share their art for the community's benefit.
"We’ve lived in Davenport for 36 years, and this community has been very good to us. It just seems easy to do this, and to know that people will enjoy it, and that it will be here for a long time. When you are nearing the end of your life—and we are—you start to think about what you’re leaving behind, what of value you have to leave future generations. It makes us feel good to give back to the community,” Randy and Linda said in the release.
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