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Faith-dorian Wright 1934–2016
included the emotional and the intellectual; one
incorporates human experience, the other, the
fundamental use of basic form.” Later she said,
“The strength of my paintings examines the line,
color, and shape of certain societies that fi nd these
elements in design of great importance … I have
veered from realism to abstraction, in order to be
most creative in rendering the ideas behind the
design. I have concentrated on non-Western civilizations
that produce textiles and patterns …
motifs found in wall designs, clothing, and daily
implements, as well as sacred objects. Represented
in my works are patterns from Asia, Africa,
and the American Indian”
Faith, together with Martin, were early supporters
of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s
Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and
the Americas when the collection was still part of
the Museum of Primitive Art in downtown New
York. They continuously donated important gifts
to the Met, some of which are on permanent display,
with Faith actively serving on the department’s
visiting committee until her death.
Faith and Martin were also committed to supporting
the Israel Museum in Jerusalem for close
to four decades. Their donation of more than
500 exemplary gifts made the museum the only
repository of this art in Israel and its collection
one of the most important in the region. They
generously funded the creation of impressive
spaces to house their donations, with galleries
for African, Oceanic, and North American art
carrying their names. On the occasion of the
opening of the African art gallery in 1981, a celebratory
symposium initiated by them was held
at the Israel Museum, honoring Claude Levy-
Strauss, who was the guest speaker, together
with a stellar list of tribal art scholars.
Through her role in bringing these arts to the
public, Faith will long be remembered not only by
visitors but by us, the curators of the arts of Africa,
FAITH-DORIAN WRIGHT, a devotee of the
arts and a woman with great artistic energy, was
born in Brooklyn, New York, where she grew
up with an appreciation for art that was instilled
in her by her mother. Already recognized for her
artistic talent in high school, she was accepted
into a special New York City program for gifted
children, the fi rst of its kind at the time. Inquisitive
and curious, she insisted as a young girl that
she wanted to study science, an unusual choice
for woman in the 1950s, and went on to complete
a bachelor of science degree at New York
University in 1955. She continued her education,
completing a master of arts degree at New York
University and going on to post-graduate studies
at the Pratt Institute and the Parsons School
of Design, followed by a successful career that
distinguished her both as an educator and as an
exhibiting artist. Her works enhance museum
collections in the U.S., Europe, India, and Israel.
She married attorney Martin Wright in 1955
and together they raised their two children.
Her deep interest in tribal art developed while
at New York University, where she was taught
by Robert Goldwater, the fi rst director of the
Museum of Primitive Art, and Hale Woodruff,
the African-American artist, who also was a collector
of African art. Tribal art became a source
of inspiration for her, and this was the impetus
for her and Martin’s deep and shared passion
for collecting in this fi eld, attaining international
recognition as major collectors of the arts of Africa,
Oceania, and the Americas.
In Daniel Shapiro’s Western Artists/African Art,
Faith is quoted, “For me there are two assumptions,
the visual and the psychological, that held
my intrigue. The forms of African art are simple,
whether a bowl or a mask or a fi gure. Through
these simplifi ed forms one senses the strong emotions
these cultures represent. I also realize that
African art pursued a goal along two routes that
IN TRIBUTE
Photo courtesy of Dorit Shafi r