The Warren J. and Margot Coville PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION

Matthew McLendon Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art

One of the most enjoyable times in any curator’s professional life is when he or she has the opportunity to work with passionate collectors—collectors who acquire art out of a true love for a specific media, genre, style, etc. and not simply for “portfolio diversification.” Warren and Margot Coville are collectors whose passion for their collections is infectious. It is also every curator’s hope that during his or her tenure at an institution, he or she will be able to play a significant role in the building of the collection for the future of the museum and the audiences it serves. I am, therefore, doubly fortunate. In coming to the Ringling I have had the great pleasure to spend time with Warren and Margot, and now, through their gift of more than 1,000 photographs, I, along with my colleagues, have been a part of the significant development of our photography collection.

The generosity of Warren and Margot Coville is well known to Sarasota residents. Their philanthropy has greatly enriched some of our most outstanding cultural and civic organizations; The Asolo Repertory and Conservatory Theaters, The Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Sarasota, and this is not their first gift to The Ringling. The Covilles previously donated around 150 photographs to the Museum. Together, their gift is the largest gift of photography – and one of the most important donations of art – in the history of the Ringling.

Warren, who instigated the couple’s photography collection (Margot has assembled an equally impressive collection of glass) has a long history with the medium that in many ways came to define the twentieth century. As a war photographer aboard a B-17 bomber during World War II, Warren acquired an intimate knowledge of photography and, more importantly for his later career, the process of photo development. Returning from the War, Warren worked as a traveling portrait photographer before eventually co-founding ABC Photography and specializing in innovations in photo development. After retirement, Warren was free to pursue his passion for the photographic image.

The Warren J. and Margot Coville Photography Collection comprises images spanning the twentieth century ending with the first global event of the twenty-first century, the attack on the World Trade Center. It includes iconic images such as a personal favorite, Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Rue Mouffetard, in which a young boy swaggers down the street, wine under each arm, the picture of youthful self-satisfaction. The majority of the collection falls under the broad category of photojournalism with photographs from events like the meeting of then Princess Elizabeth and President Truman to Walter Rosenblum’s unflinching portrayals of humanity Hospital Workers, South Bronx, 1979. With their gift to the Museum, Warren and Margot have created an enduring legacy that will enable the exploration of the photographic arts at the Ringling for generations to come.