The Art Institute of Chicago has significantly expanded its collection with a major donation from collectors Jeffrey and Carol Horvitz. The couple has gifted the museum approximately 2,250 works of French art spanning the 16th to 19th centuries, marking one of the most substantial contributions of its kind.
This gift follows two exhibitions held last year at the Art Institute, showcasing the Horvitzes’ collection—one dedicated to Neoclassical paintings and the other to drawings. Jeffrey Horvitz, a private investor, was featured on the ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list between 1994 and 1999, while Carol Horvitz currently serves as a trustee at the museum.
The donation consists primarily of drawings, with around 2,000 pieces, alongside 200 paintings and 50 sculptures. According to the Art Institute, the collection represents the largest privately held assemblage of French art from this period in the U.S. In addition to the artworks, the Horvitzes have also committed financial support for their care, though the museum has not disclosed the amount.
While the collection spans multiple artistic movements—including works by Rococo master François Boucher and Romantic painter Théodore Géricault—it is especially rich in Neoclassical pieces. Emerging in the mid-17th century as a response to the ornate styles of the time, Neoclassicism emphasized reason, morality, and a revival of Greco-Roman ideals.
Jeffrey Horvitz expressed his vision for the collection’s future, stating, “We have always envisioned this collection remaining as a whole in order to be more than the sum of its parts… There was no more perfect choice than the Art Institute.”
This extraordinary gift cements the Art Institute of Chicago as a leading center for French Neoclassical art, ensuring that these masterpieces will be studied and appreciated for generations to come.
François-André Vincent, Rinaldo and Armida, ca. 1787
Jacques-Louis David, Andromache Mourning the Death of Hector, ca. 1783.
Nicolas-André Monsiau, Alexander the Great Attacking the Oxydrakai, 1809
Jean Jacques François Lebarbier, Man Lunging Forward, date unknown
Antoine-François Callet, Allegory of the Concordat, ca. 1802
