Stanford University’s riches keep accumulating but, this time around, rather than an announcement of a staggering increase in their endowment or the construction of a sports arena worthy of a prince, they’ve received the core of what many consider one of the finest privately-held collections of 20th-century post-war art. The Anderson family, who live in an affluent neighborhood near the university, has given Stanford 121 primo works…

…llection. Now the Andersons have replaced their masterpieces—estimated to be valued at hundreds of millions—with works on paper. “I used to describe the dining room as a room you could have a feast in without having a meal,” says Mr. Anderson, referring to the art that once hung there. How did they become Hunk and Moo? Mr. Anderson, now 91, got his nickname when assistant football coach Heartley “Hunk” Anderson replaced Kn…

On September 21, the Anderson Collection building opened at the Palo Alto campus of Stanford University—our frequent partner-in-crime when it comes to celebrating the West. Designed by the same team that created Stanford’s stellar Bing Concert Hall, the structure houses 121 works of modern and contemporary American art, all donated by Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson. Of course, we’re most excited about the pieces that have a Western flavor:…

This past Friday, the Anderson Collection hosted a talk entitled “Animating the Inanimate,” during which artist Basil Twist spoke about his abstract experiments in puppetry and visual arts. Twist is a San Francisco-born, New York-based puppeteer brought in by the Stanford Arts Institute as part of the Mohr Visiting Artist Program. He is acclaimed for performance pieces, including “Symphonie Fantastique” and “The Rite of Spring,” which is a balle…

Arty Reason to Visit Palo Alto: The Anderson Collection Stanford University is now home to a prized assemblage of 20th Century American art thanks to generous Palo Alto collectors Harry and Mary Margaret Anderson and their daughter, Mary Patricia Anderson Pence. Doing the only thing a grateful beneficiary could do in the face of such an important endowment, which includes works by such blue chip artists as Jackson Pollock, Wayne Thiebaud, and El…

The Anderson Collection at Stanford University has won a 2015 Award of Excellence, the highest level of honor, from the American Institute of Architects, New York State (AIANY). Designed by RICHARD OLCOTT/Ennead Architects, the building housing the collection is located in the heart of Stanford’s arts district. The Anderson Collection at Stanford University celebrates its first anniversary this month. The collection, a gift from Harry W. and Mar…

…e Anderson Collection at Stanford University, first encountered Nick Cave’s famed “Soundsuits.” “I was struck by how present the works were, the material choices and how Cave’s assemblage brought up memories and assigned new meaning,” he recalls. “They make us look, examine, question what we are seeing.” In September, the Anderson Collection opened an exhibition, N ic k Cave, that includes eight “Soundsuits.” The life-size sculptures can be worn…