Florence Irving and her husband, the late Herbert Irving, were extraordinarily generous supporters of three New York Institutions. The couple donated, over seven decades, the sum of more than ... (more)

Irving, Florence
Philanthropist

Florence Irving and her husband, the late Herbert Irving, were extraordinarily generous supporters of three New York Institutions. The couple donated, over seven decades, the sum of more than one billion dollars to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and Columbia University Irving Medical Center. In 2016, the names of the two medical centers were changed to include the Irving name in the title. On September 9 of that year a gala celebration was held to announce the name changes, and to unveil this portrait of Mrs. Irving. Florence Irving was born in Brooklyn, was married to Herbert Irving for 74 years, and died on July 25, 2018, at the age of 98.

The Irvings were significant collectors of Asian art. Their collection formed the basis of the Florence and Herbert Irving Asian Wing in the Metropolitan Museum. In her portrait, Mrs. Irving stands before a Chinese screen in her East 81st Street apartment. It was my privilege to paint two double portraits of the Irvings in addition to a single portrait of each.