An Armenian Bulgarian by birth, Tavitian arrived in New York from Lebanon and worked as a taxi driver before talking his way into Columbia University, from which he graduated in 1965. Four years later, Tavitian and a cohort of fellow graduates founded the software company Syncsort as a rival to IBM. His success with the company allowed him to pursue his great passions of collecting and philanthropy, particularly in the fields of arts and education. Tavitian, who lived between residences in New York City and Stockbridge in Western Massachusetts, served on the board or committees of several museums, including the Metropolitan, Frick and Clark. All three benefitted from his generous bequests: the Met received Francesco Salviati’s Bindo Altoviti (c. 1545), while the Frick was given Moroni’s sublime Portrait of a woman (c. 1575).
Bindo Altoviti (1491-1556)
Francesco Salviati (Francesco de’ Rossi)
Bindo Altoviti (1491 – 1557), c. 1545
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Giovanni Battista Moroni
Portrait of a Young Woman, c. 1575
The Frick Collection, New York, NY
The Clark, however, located near Tavitian’s home in the Berkshires, was the greatest beneficiary of his largess. The Aso Tavitian Foundation donated 331 artworks and over $45 million in endowment funds to support expansion and the establishment of a new curatorial role. It is among the largest gifts in the history of the museum, whose new wing, designed by Annabelle Selldorf, will be named the Aso O. Tavitian wing in his honour.
The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute (‘the Clark’), Williamstown, MA
Tavitian’s donation – which is comprised of 132 paintings, 130 sculptures, 39 drawings, and 30 decorative objects – will completely transform the Clark collection, enhancing an already outstanding small museum by complementing its existing strengths. The Clark, whose collection ranges from the Renaissance through the 19th Century, has historically been stronger in examples from the later periods and in paintings more than in sculpture. Tavitian’s collection, meanwhile, which is strongest in the earlier periods and with an impressive distribution between painting and sculpture, will therefore fill in some important gaps and round out the scope of the museum’s holdings.
Among the numerous highlights from the Clark bequest are a superb Memling Portrait of a man in a black cap, acquired by Tavitian from Dickinson; a rare, late Madonna of the Fountain (c. 1440) by Jan van Eyck and his workshop, an exceptional and striking glazed terracotta relief Portrait of a youth (c. 1470-80) by Andrea della Robbia, Rubens’s Portrait of a young man (c. 1613-15) which dates from the artist’s second Antwerp period, and Bernini’s bronze Matilda of Canossa (c. 1630-39), a small-scale reduction of a marble version carved for the Countess’s tomb in St. Peter’s Basilica. These are joined by additional portraits by Parmigianino, Fragonard, David and others, landscapes by Robert and Vernet, and many more extremely fine sculptures. Funds from the bequest will endow a new curatorial position at the Clark: the Aso O Tavitian Curator of Early Modern European Painting and Sculpture.
Hans Memling, Head of a Man in a black cap,
sold by Dickinson in 2006 and bequeathed to the Clark Art Institute, 2024
It is a fact worth highlighting that Tavitian only began collecting in 2004, which means that, in just over 15 years, he was able to put together a remarkable, comprehensive, and museum-quality collection of old masters across all categories. This completely dispels the oft-cited claim that there is a dearth of high-quality old masters available on the market. As Tavitian has proven, the masterpiece market remains robust, and with effort, dedication, trustworthy guidance – and sufficient funds! – today’s collector can dream of achieving a similar feat.