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The Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame has received a significant gift of paintings, sculptures and other artwork from the estate of Ernestine Morris Carmichael Raclin, the first woman to serve on the university’s board.
The gift includes work from iconic masters Gainsborough, Reynolds, Houdon and Guillaumin, the university said.
“Throughout her extraordinary life, Ernestine Raclin demonstrated time and again her commitment to her local community and to increasing accessibility and appreciation of the arts,” Notre Dame President Rev. Robert Dowd said in a news release. “We are grateful for her generous support that enabled the creation of the Raclin Murphy Museum, as well as this additional gift which will delight museum attendees for many generations to come.”
A lifelong supporter of the arts, Raclin began collecting in earnest in the 1980s and 1990s, the university said. The collection includes works from the 15th through the early 20th centuries but is especially strong in 18th century art.
“Although Ernie had long been a supporter of the museum and generously gifted numerous works to the collection over decades, this gift is quite special,” Joseph Antenucci Becherer, director and curator of sculpture, said. “To know that she lived with and found profound enjoyment and inspiration in these objects, and wanted to share that with the world, fills the museum with her spirit of grace, passion and love of others.”
A former chairwoman of 1st Source Bank, Raclin was the first woman to serve on the board of Notre Dame as well as on the boards of 1st National Bank of Chicago, MidCon Corp. and NIPSCO, Inside INdiana Business reported after her passing in 2023.. She also was the first woman in the United States to chair a United Way campaign and to serve on the board of United Way of America, among numerous other professional and volunteer roles.
The Raclin git is the cornerstone of a major initiative called “150 for 150: Art for Notre Dame, the Sesquicentennial Campaign.” The initiative aims to build the collection by garnering 150 gifts for 150 years, whether a single object or an entire collection, the university said in a news release.
The campaign’s priorities include art of the Indigenous Americas, European and American art before 1900, international modern and contemporary art, Irish art, sculpture and works on paper, the university said.
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