In 2023, Chicago-based art collectors Marilyn and Larry Fields gifted 79 key works of contemporary art to the MCA Chicago. The gift, which was selected by the Fields in tandem with the MCA’s curatorial staff, marks a pivotal step in the museum’s mission to create a permanent collection that holistically represents contemporary art history by building its holdings of women and BIPOC artists.

The donation includes paintings, photography, new media, and sculptures by major local, national, and international artists. Of the 59 artists included in the Marilyn and Larry Fields Gift, 23 will be represented in the MCA Collection for the first time. Approximately 80 percent of the works in the gift are by pivotal woman and BIPOC artists, such as Huma Bhabha, Amanda Ross-Ho, Adrian Piper, and Jennie C. Jones. The gift will also expand on the museum’s existing concentrations in the work of key figures like Arthur Jafa, Cindy Sherman, and Rashid Johnson.

“Marilyn and Larry Fields, long-time supporters of the MCA, have always valued the power that contemporary art has in fostering new ideas and inspiring change,” Pritzker Director Madeleine Grynsztejn said in 2023. “This generous gift will help the MCA move the permanent collection forward by adding emerging voices and new artists to the collection, expanding our ability to highlight under-represented narratives.”

Marilyn and Larry Fields have a longstanding relationship with the MCA. In 2012, the MCA received a $2 million gift from the Fields to endow the position of the Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator. This support has enabled those in the position, such as Naomi Beckwith and Carla Acevedo-Yates, to develop groundbreaking exhibitions such as The Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music, 1965 to Now (2015); Howardena Pindell: What Remains To Be Seen (2018), Carolina Caycedo: From the Bottom of the River (2020–21), and Forecast Form: Art in the Caribbean Diaspora, 1990s–Today (2022–23).

“This gift aids the MCA’s commitment to establishing a deeper view of art history and artistic production that challenges traditional collecting models,” commented Manilow Senior Curator Jamillah James at the time. “It will help the collection reflect the ever-shifting landscape of critical and social discourse within the field of contemporary art.”

Numerous exhibitions have featured highlights from the Fields Gift, including Rebecca Morris: 2001–2022, Faith Ringgold: American People, Descending the Staircase, Nicole Eisenman: What Happened, and From the Center: Looking at Lucy Lippard, and several forthcoming exhibitions in 2027 will showcase its works.

About the Donors

Marilyn and Larry Fields began seriously collecting contemporary art in 2002, amassing a collection of 500 pieces by over 300 living artists.

Larry Fields was elected Trustee of the MCA in June 2005 and currently sits on the board. He has also served on the Executive and Collection Committees. From September 2015 to October 2023, he was chair of the Collection Committee.

Marilyn Fields joined the MCA Women’s Board in 1998 and was Women’s Board President from 2004 until 2007. During her tenure on the Women’s Board, which ended in May 2016, Marilyn helped establish the Women’s Board Family Education Initiative.

Throughout their years of working with the MCA, the Fields have supported over 25 exhibitions, loaned over 45 pieces, and have gifted 21 artworks prior to the Marilyn and Larry Fields Gift.