The Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) has opened a new exhibition titled "The Bradley Collection of Modern Art: A Bold Vision for Milwaukee" in the Baker/Rowland Galleries, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Peg Bradley's donation of nearly 400 works to the museum. The show features highlights from the collection, including pieces by Wassily Kandinsky, Raoul Dufy, and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, alongside works by American artists like Georgia O'Keeffe and Andy Warhol. The exhibition offers visitors a chance to see these works in a new setting and learn more about Bradley as a collector and philanthropist.
This exhibition matters because the Bradley Collection has been foundational to MAM's identity and growth, providing the museum with critical support and prestige that helped attract architect Santiago Calatrava to design the Quadracci Pavilion. Peg Bradley's decision to keep the collection in Milwaukee—rather than sending it to New York's Museum of Modern Art, which had hoped to acquire it—has had a lasting impact on the city's cultural landscape. The show underscores how one donor's generosity can shape an institution and community for generations.