National Gallery gets Broida gift

In the museum world’s holiday tradition of getting art donations on record before the tax year ends, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., has announced a present from Los Angeles: L.A. real estate developer and art collector Edward R. Broida has donated 62 modern and contemporary paintings, sculptures and works on paper by 23 artists to the museum.

Broida, 71, has struggled with cancer, raising questions about the future of the collection.

The donation -- announced as a subset of 400 new acquisitions recently approved by the board of trustees -- includes works by Vija Celmins, Philip Guston, Carl Andre, Claes Oldenburg, Mark di Suvero, Robert Morris and Susan Rothenberg.

The gift is Broida’s second donation to a major East Coast museum this year. In April, Broida gave 174 works to New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

As part of its own holiday windfall, MoMA will also receive an array of gifts from other donors, including three major paintings by Brice Marden, two from museum board President Marie-Josee Kravis and one from Kathleen Fuld, a trustee.

-- Diane Haithman