In Memory of Anita Reiner

Anita Reiner standing in front a human figure cloaked in black.

Photo: Courtesy Wendy Grossman

Passionate art lover and Phillips friend Anita Reiner passed away on August 15, 2013. Anita and her husband, Burton, became International Forum members in 2009 and enthusiastically joined Phillips trips to Dallas-Fort Worth and Art Basel Miami Beach.

Phillips Curatorial Associate Wendy Grossman relays this touching story of Anita’s early connection with the Phillips:

“A serendipitous encounter at The Phillips Collection in the early years of her quest to learn about modern art was instrumental in shaping the open-minded attitude that ultimately guided Anita’s collecting philosophy. While looking inquisitively at the newly installed paintings by Mark Rothko, she was approached by an elderly gentleman—as she tells it—who asked her what she thought. To which she mumbled an indifferent reply. The man told her: ‘Young lady, you always have to meet new art half way.’ She never forgot that. The man, she subsequently learned, was Duncan Phillips.”