Over the past two decades, the late George Saxe and his wife, Dorothy, created one of the most significant collections of art from craft media.
Noted Palo Alto, California, real estate developer, art collector, and arts patron George B. Saxe died on Wednesday, July 28th, with Dorothy, his wife of more than six decades, at his side. He was 89 years old. Over the past 20 years, George and Dorothy Saxe built an impressive collection of art in ceramic, metal, wood, fiber, and especially glass. The Saxes also gave generously to institutions that supported the arts, including the de Young Museum, Pilchuck Glass School, and California College of the Arts.
Saxe was a major supporter of well-known figures in the glass art scene such as Dale Chihuly and William Morris, but he also collected work by contemporary sculptors such as Lynda Benglis, Kiki Smith, and Christopher Wilmarth who align themselves more with the wider contemporary art world.
Born in Mount Union, Pennsylvania, Saxe would go on to graduate from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. After military service during World War II, Saxe married Dorothy (née Ruby) in 1947 in Michigan City, Indiana. In 1959, he and Dorothy moved to Palo Alto with their three young children, and Saxe established a highly successful real estate development business.
“The Saxe Collection at the de Young Museum in San Francisco is a monument to their taste and generosity,” author, appraiser, and GLASS Quarterly contributing editor William Warmus wrote on his Facebook page.
Saxe is survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter, as well as six grandchildren. He will be buried on Sunday, August 1st, at 10:30 AM at the Hills of Eternity in Colma, California. A memorial service will be held later that same day at 12:30 PM at Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills Califronia.
According to a paid death notice in the San Francisco Chronicle, the family is requesting that, in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to Congregation Beth Am, California College of the Arts, the Jewish Home of San Francisco, or the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.