The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art will become home to one of the world's finest collections of contemporary art, museum officials announced today.
The Fisher Collection - which belongs to Gap, Inc., founders Doris and Donald Fisher - will make its public debut next year as part of the museum's 75th anniversary celebration.
The couple, who founded the Gap 40 years ago, wanted to keep their collection intact to share it with people in their hometown, according to a press release.
The collection's 1,100 or so pieces include work by such well-known artists as Alexander Calder, Chuck Close, Willem de Kooning, Richard Diebenkorn, Anselm Kiefer, Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein, Brice Marden, Agnes Martin, Gerhard Richter, Richard Serra, Cy Twombly and Andy Warhol.
"San Francisco is where we raised our family and opened our first Gap store," said Don Fisher, "and we want to give back to the city we love by sharing the art that means so much to us.
"Doris and I share a vision with SFMOMA to enhance its collections and programs, and we are prepared to make a substantial gift to strengthen the museum's standing as one of the world's great contemporary art museums."
The museum is in the planning stages of an expansion project that would triple its gallery space.
The Fishers had thought of building a museum in the Presido by this past summer decided against that idea and turned instead to the Museum of Modern Art.
"SFMOMA is thrilled to forge this groundbreaking partnership and bring the Fishers' outstanding collection to the people of San Francisco and the world, which will make the museum an even greater public resource and provide visitors with a deeper, fuller view of key contemporary artists and movements," said museum director Neal Benezra.
Read the San Franciso Chronicle's story on the Fisher-SFMOMA partnership at www.sfgate.com
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