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<i> Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press</i>

Art Hero: Paul Mellon, the 85-year-old owner of Sea Hero, Saturday’s Kentucky Derby-winning horse, is himself a hero in the art world. The Pittsburgh-born philanthropist and art collector is an honorary trustee of the National Gallery of Art in Washington. He served as chairman of the board of trustees from 1979-1985. Mellon’s father, financier Andrew Mellon, founded the gallery’s original building in 1936. Paul Mellon and his sister Ailsa donated the East Building, designed by I. M. Pei, which opened in 1978. Mellon also donated money for the Yale University Center for British Art, as well as its original $100-million art collection. He started collecting art while studying at Cambridge University in the 1930s.

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