Charles Phelps Taft
1902
49 1/8 x 38 1/4 in. (124.78 x 97.16 cm)
Raimundo de Madrazo y Garreta
(Spanish,
1841–1920)
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Credit Line:
Bequest of Charles Phelps Taft and Anna Sinton Taft
Accession Number:
3.1931
Currently on View in:
Music Room (14)
Exhibition History
Ohio. Cincinnati Art Museum. Museum within a Museum: Treasures from the Taft at the Cincinnati Art Museum, January 12, 2002–February 2003 (during TMA renovation).
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. In a New Light: Treasures from the Taft, July 3, 2021–May 1, 2022.
Gallery Label
Raimundo de Madrazo portrayed Charles Phelps Taft (1843–1929) as a distinguished businessman wearing a dark suit and pocket watch. Charles earned a law degree and doctorate, served in the Ohio state legislature and in Congress, and supported his half-brother William Howard Taft’s successful election as President of the United States. As owner/editor of the Cincinnati Times-Star, Charles also championed cultural and philanthropic causes. In 1927, the Tafts bequeathed their home and art collection to the people of Cincinnati and established an endowment (now known as ArtsWave) to support local arts organizations, including the future museum that would bear their name.
Provenance
Commissioned by Charles Phelps Taft [1843-1929] and Anna Sinton Taft [1850-1931], Cincinnati, OH, 1902; created by the artist in Cincinnati, OH, December 1902; transferred to Charles Phelps Taft [1843-1929] and Anna Sinton Taft [1850-1931], Cincinnati, OH, December 22, 1902; donated to the Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts, Cincinnati, OH, May 21, 1927 [1]; transferred to the Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, OH, September 1, 2006 [2].
Notes:
[1]. The Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts (CIFA) was formed by Charles Phelps Taft and Anna Sinton Taft on March 22, 1927 as a non-profit corporation to stimulate the development of art and music in the City of Cincinnati and run the Taft Museum of Art, which opened in 1932. The Tafts offered $1 million for a permanent endowment fund, on the condition that the community raise $2.5 million in matching funds, which was achieved by December 3, 1928. [2]. Until August 31, 2006, the Museum was owned by CIFA, administered by CIFA’s Board of Trustees, and governed by the Taft Museum Board of Overseers. On September 1, 2006, the Museum legally separated from CIFA and began operations as its own incorporated 501(c)(3) entity. This separate incorporation led to the transfer to the separate entity after August 31, 2006 of all tangible assets comprising the Taft collection.
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