The Art of Collecting: Gifts of the Luther W. Brady Estate

September 28, 2023 - March 9, 2024

The celebrated oncologist and philanthropist Luther W. Brady bequeathed more than 130 works of art to the George Washington University representing a transformative gift to the GW Collection.  On view at the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery, located in the Corcoran Flagg Building, the exhibit includes paintings and sculptures by internationally renowned artists, including Richard Diebenkorn, Sam Francis, Anthony Gormley, Nancy Graves, Richard Motherwell, Louise Nevelson, Sean Scully, and Frank Stella. Among the featured pieces are Howard Hodgkin’s Heat (2003), Barbara Hepworth’s Autumn Day (1968), Jules Olitski’s Pleasures 3 (2001), and bronze maquettes by Henry Moore.  Showcasing Dr. Brady’s continuing impact on GW, the exhibit will bring works by important artists in close proximity to students and classes in the Corcoran School of Arts and Design. 

A triple alumnus of the George Washington University, Luther W. Brady built a remarkable legacy in medicine, academia, and the arts. Brady was a leading radiation oncologist who helped pioneer breakthrough treatments for eye tumors and cervical cancer. For more than 50 years, he imparted his experience and expertise to students at Hahnemann University School of Medicine and Drexel University College of Medicine. His bequest also included endowment funding for a radiation oncology professorship in the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Brady was a dedicated patron of the arts, serving on a number of museum boards and supporting prestigious institutions like the National Gallery of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Brady took an active role in the stewardship of the university and its institutions, serving on the GW Board of Trustees for over 20 years and sitting on the Board of Directors of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum. Brady died in 2018 at age 92.

Support for this exhibition, its accompanying publication and related programming is

provided by the following:

Estate of Luther W. Brady, Jr., AA ’44, BA ’46, MD ‘48

Luther W. Brady Art Gallery Director's Discretionary Endowment

Carleen B. Keating       

Elizabeth A.C. Perry and Robert G. Perry, BS ‘70

Sean Scully and Lilane Tomasko

Lucretia Tanner

Robert N. Alfandre Foundation

Marjorie N. Weingold

Additional Support is provided by:

Dava Berkman
Lenore Miller

Sharon Block

Nancy Breslin
Morris Chalick, M.D.
Jane Kolson
Adam Proujansky

Image: Kit White, City, 2006, oil on wood panel, 20-1/2 x 24-1/2". Gift of the Estate of Luther W. Brady, 2023 (P.2023.1.43). © Kit White