In 1957 the collections of the Layton Trust joined those of the Milwaukee Art Institute (renamed the Milwaukee Art Museum in 1980) in the new War Memorial Center. This demonstrated the Layton Art Collection’s ability to adapt as the institution grew and trends changed. Edward Dwight was appointed after Partridge and was the first professionally trained art historian to oversee the Layton legacy. In 1960 he mounted the influential exhibition American Painting: 1760-1960. Inspired by the exhibition, director Tracy Atkinson, hired in 1962, led the Layton trustees in making a series of bold, forward-looking acquisitions in American painting.
There was also increasing interest in American antiques beginning in the 1960s and peaking around the time of the Bicentennial in 1976. American art museums were recognizing the wider cultural and socioeconomic appeal of furniture, metalware, textiles, and ceramics relative to the “fine arts,” and were featuring them in thought-provoking installations. The Layton Art Collection followed suit, acquiring important decorative arts from the colonial era thanks to the efforts of Layton trustee Frederick Vogel and his wife, Anne.
The Vogels also oversaw the development of the museum’s new American Collections Galleries; they sought the assistance of leading scholars and dealers and looked to innovative installations such as that of Yale’s decorative arts collection. By mixing paintings and decorative arts and exhibiting furniture in the round, the new galleries, which opened in 1975, showcased a compelling narrative of American expression.
Since then, new acquisitions and partnerships with the Chipstone Foundation and the Terra Foundation for American Art reflect a dynamic Layton Art Collection that remains relevant today. Along with the Milwaukee Art Museum, it continues to advance Frederick Layton’s original commitment to art as a way to educate and inspire all of Milwaukee’s citizens.
