U. of Wisconsin Gets $28 Million for Museum and Art Program

The University of Wisconsin-Madison has received a $28-million pledge of artworks and cash from patrons of its on-campus art museum, reports the Wisconsin State Journal. The gift from Jerome and Simona Chazen includes 30 pieces by major 20th-century painters, including Robert Motherwell, Roy Lichtenstein, and David Hockney, that will join the permanent collection at the Chazen Museum of Art.

The works are valued at close to $20 million. The Chazens also committed $5 million for the museum building and $3 million to establish chairs in art and art education at the university, which they attended in the 1940s. The museum, formerly known as the Elvehjem, was named for the couple following a $20-million donation in 2005. Mr. Chazen is a co-founder of fashion giant Liz Claiborne and the chairman of investment firm Chazen Capital Partners.