Phillips Flashback: June 1921 and 1959

Marjorie and Duncan Phillips stand with Georges Braque's The Philodendron, 1954. Photo: Naomi Savage

June was a good month for Duncan and Marjorie’s partnership at least twice in their years together. In June 1921, the young couple visit Marjorie’s grandmother, Mrs. William R. Beal, at her home on the Hudson above Newburgh, New York, and become engaged to be married.

And in June 1959, together they receive the Award of Merit for lifetime devotion to art, bestowed by the Philadelphia Museum School of Art. In his acceptance speech, Duncan pays tribute to Marjorie’s work:

We are happy to be honored jointly – to have our partnership in the Collection recognized. I am always eager to acknowledge my indebtedness to my partner’s creative perceptions as a professional painter.

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